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Weekly Review Azzi's Superlative Week in Review 2009/2010
- Thread starter sixfyv
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- #22
WEEK #9—2009-11-09
One major upset took place this past weekend as Westside FC continued to climb up the ladder as a result of its surprising 4-1 victory over the frustrated Columbus FC. Meanwhile, the Metro-Ford Wolves reclaimed possession of first place by soundly defeating the aspiring Surrey United Firefighters by a 3-0 margin, while the young Norvan Pacific got out of last place by holding the visiting ICST Pegasus to a 2-2 tie. In another big match, Delta United was held to a 1-1 tie by ICSF Inter, thus spoiling Delta’s hopes of remaining in first place in the highly competitive Premier Division.
WEST VAN FC – SAPPERTON ROVERS 1-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the former Trollers continued their 3-game unbeaten streak with a narrow, but well-deserved, 1-0 victory over the visiting Rovers. Sapperton began the game in a very defensive manner and relied heavily on counter-attacks as West Van applied a lot of pressure in search of the all-important opening goal. Despite its clear-cut territorial advantage, West Van was held scoreless for the first 70 minutes of the match, due mainly to some solid defending on the part of Sapperton’s Ted Ullrich, Brody Phillips, and Woody Bradford. It should also be mentioned that goalkeeper Garth Lagasse also played brilliantly throughout the contest, despite dislocating his shoulder in the early going. However, at about the 70th minute mark, the defending VMSL champions finally took the lead when veteran Paul Dailly found a wide-open Robbie Giezen with one of his patented long-range passes. Giezen controlled the ball with poise and composure and then drilled it into the Sapperton net for the game’s lone goal. Late in the match, Sapperton’s Jason Pierotti almost levelled the score as his shot from close-range—after having received a great pass from Shawn Blakeway—sailed just over the crossbar. West Van’s young Alan McIndoe once again demonstrated a remarkable work ethic as he controlled the middle of the park throughout the entire match. As a result of the victory, West Van FC is now in fourth place in the Premier Division standings, while the loss drops the Rovers into a last-place tie with Croatia SC and Richmond FC Hibernians.
NORVAN PACIFIC – ICST PEGASUS 2-2: On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, the former Eagles held the hot-and-cold ICST Pegasus to a 2-2 tie after an exciting and well-played 90 minutes of non-stop action. Norvan dominated proceedings in the first half and took a well-deserved lead at the 30th minute mark when young Nathan Harte picked up a loose ball at the edge of the penalty area, cut inside and unleashed a wicked left-foot drive that found the back of the net. Norvan could have added to its margin during the first half of play but Colin Soo’s great shot hit the cross-bar, while Blake Burgon watched agonizingly as goalkeeper Paul Sandhu made a great save on a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net. Early in the second half, Nathan Harte added his second goal of the match on a well-taken free kick from well outside the penalty area, a shot that curled into the top corner of the Pegasus net. Norvan’s second goal appeared to be the wake-up call that the visitors needed as they started to take over the reins of the match by exerting a lot of pressure on the young Norvan defenders. Midway through the second half, Maysam Soltani narrowed the margin on a long-range missile of a shot that could easily qualify as the goal of the season! With 20 minutes remaining in the game, Ryan Green tied things up as he finished off a two-way passing play involving Rob Hall and Jag Sajan. Amazingly, Norvan fought back and almost regained the lead in the late stages of the match but a breakaway opportunity by Blake Burgon was thwarted by another phenomenal save by veteran—and newly-signed—replacement goalkeeper, Paul Sandhu. Pegasus’ Chetan Jhooty played extremely well, particularly in the second half as he led his team’s comeback with his indomitable work rate. Norvan’s Mark Kryss and LaVere Corben Ong should also be mentioned for their outstanding defensive performances throughout the entire match. The single point was more important to Norvan than Pegasus as it helped the young North Shore team climb out of last place, while the visitors have now dropped to 6th place in the Premier Division standings.
WESTSIDE FC – COLUMBUS FC 4-1: Also on Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, Westside FC continued to surprise and impress as a result of an upset 4-1 victory over the heavily-favoured ‘Italians’. Once again, the Westsiders invited the opponents to pressure by using a very strategic 4-5-1 formation and, once again, the tactic worked perfectly. Columbus dominated the first 30 minutes of play, creating numerous goalscoring opportunities that went awry, mostly due to some fine goalkeeping on the part of Rowan Anders and some poor finishing by its attackers. In particular, Anders pulled off a couple of great saves, the first one on a close-range header by Steve Frazao and the second on a long-range free kick by Ylya Malek. Also, a header by Kozo Manome—on a well-taken free kick by Aaron Keay—went just wide of the far post, while Steve DeBlasio’s brilliant long-range shot also barely missed the net. But, as luck would have it, it was Westside FC that took the lead shortly thereafter as Ian Sandilands took advantage of a goalmouth scramble—as a result of a corner kick—and found the back of the net with a well-placed shot. The second half saw Westside FC—led by the excellent performances of Sam Wallace, Ian Sandilands, James Brown, and Cedric Lunel—defend very well as the visitors were trying desperately to restore parity. At the 60th minute mark, Jay Kent-Hume chipped the ball over the head of Columbus’ goalkeeper Thomas Lindley after having raced in from the middle of the park on a counter-attack for his team’s second, and winning, goal. Westside’s third goal was scored shortly thereafter on a brilliant, unstoppable shot by James Brown. The Westsiders added insult to Columbus’ injury at the 70th minute mark as Ian Sandilands neatly converted a corner kick by slotting the ball into the top corner of the net. After Westside had been reduced to 10 men—due to the expulsion of Graeme Webber for a serious foul play infraction—Columbus finally scored a late goal when Ben Hunt finished off a fine cross by Robbie Cairns to spoil Rowan Anders’ shutout. The upset victory—Westside’s third in the last four games—lifts the underdog Westsiders out of last place and into the middle of the pack, only one point behind Columbus FC.
COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES – SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS 3-0: The third Saturday game was played at Cloverdale Athletic Park between two of the top teams in the Premier Division: the Surrey United Firefighters and the Metro-Ford Wolves. Both teams needed a victory to lay claim to the top spot in the standings and, as a result, the match was a hard-fought and highly-contested affair. After Surrey had tested Metro-Ford’s goalkeeper Mathew Bird a few times in the opening minutes, the Wolves scored with virtually their first attacking foray of the game as Azad Palani created a bit of space for himself at the top of the penalty area and hammered home an unstoppable shot. Midway through the first half, the Wolves doubled their lead when veteran Joey Scigliano did well to evade a defensive tackle and neatly slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the net. In the second half, the Firefighters fought back tenaciously in search of their all-important first goal but were thwarted by some excellent defending on the part of Kingsley Jones and Brook Scott. In fact, both Metro-Ford central defenders were virtually flawless as they kept the vaunted Surrey United attackers—Cam Wilson and Rizal Ganief—at bay throughtout the match. Metro-Ford’s goalkeeper, Mathew Bird, must also be commended for earning his 5th shutout of the season with a brilliant performance. In particular, with the Wolves defending their 2-0 lead, Bird came up with an incredible save on a close-range header by Lucas Barrett, a header that appeared destined for the back of the net. Late in the match, Metro-Ford inserted 3 youth call-ups—Domenic Delli Santi, Paul Clerc, and Carlo Basso—into the line-up and, once again, the young lads acquitted themselves remarkably well. In fact, Basso scored his second goal of the season for the Wolves in the late going as he raced in all alone after picking up a loose ball near the middle of the park. The central midfield partnership of Andrew Veer and Oliver Heald also worked tirelessly in controlling the overall tempo of the match. The result catapults the Wolves over the Firefighters into first place in the Premier Division standings.
DELTA UNITED – ICSF INTER 1-1: On Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in downtown Delta, the red-hot Delta United was held to a 1-1 tie by the visiting ‘Italians’. The game was very evenly played and the tie was a fair result as both teams battled hard throughout the contest. Inter almost took the lead in the early going as GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca was robbed by a great save on the part of Delta’s goalkeeper, Brian Brum. However, early in the second half, Delta took the lead as Harpreet Khakh made a fine run down the right flank before crossing the ball onto the path of CJ Greenside who proceeded to blast it into the net, giving goalkeeper Giancarlo Martino no chance whatsoever. Inter fought back tenaciously and finally tied things up at the 78th minute mark as Sheldon Maistry and newly-signed Paul Bolina combined to set up Tino Cucca for the equalizer. It should be mentioned that it was Cucca’s 9th goal of the season! Both goalkeepers—Inter’s Giancarlo Martino and Delta’s Brian Brum—came up with great saves very late in the match to preserve the tie for their teams. Defensively, playing-coach Steve Millar and Brian Fowler played extremely well for Delta United, while midfielder Mike Winter and defender Liam Smith turned in outstanding performances for ICSF Inter. The tie is a disappointing result for both teams as they are both trying desperately to gain promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League and need to be in the top 4 positions to achieve that goal.
CROATIA SC – RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 2-1: The second Sunday game, between two struggling teams—Croatia SC and the Richmond FC Hibernians—was played at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver and ended in narrow 2-1 victory for the Croatians. The first half was controlled almost entirely by the home team, while the Hibernians bounced back in the second half and dictated the pace of the match, albeit to no avail. Croatia SC took the lead at the 30th minute mark when Ryan Zaharija made a perfect late run to the back post and impeccably slotted home Chris Craveiro’s perfectly-placed low cross. Ten minutes later, the Croatians doubled their lead on a goal by Marinko Maras as he chipped the ball over the Richmond goalkeeper—Valerian Wiebe—after having been sent in all alone on a great pass by Brad Haga. Shortly thereafter, newly-transferred Philip Koiter almost put the game out of the Hibs’ reach but his hard, low shot was brilliantly saved by Wiebe. The second half told a totally different story as Richmond FC tried desperately to get back into the contest by demonstrating a great deal of grit and determination. The insertion of midfielder Graeme Poole and striker Erik Olsen made a huge difference as the Hibernians took control of the match and finally got on the scoreboard at the 65th minute of play. A brilliant 3-way passing play—involving Jon Bula, Brad Caldwell, and Alan Chivers—was converted into Richmond’s goal by Graeme Poole. The Hibs continued to press for the equalizer and came close on a few occasions, but some poor finishing—as well as some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Allan Connor—kept the score at 2-1 in Croatia’s favour till the final whistle. The result leaves both teams tied for last place—along with the Sapperton Rovers—in the Premier Division standings.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: WESTSIDE FC for its excellent performance in upsetting Columbus FC by a clear-cut 4-1 margin. This is the third upset victory for the Westsiders as they have climbed out of last place with a vengeance after a very poor start to the season. Using their patented 4-5-1 formation, the underdogs defended tenaciously throughout the contest and counter-attacked lethally on several occasions. It should be noted that Ian Sandilands scored twice in leading his team to the all-important victory.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Metro-Ford Wolves’ central defenders KINGSLEY JONES and BROOK SCOTT for their majestic performances in guiding their team to an all-important 3-0 victory over the Surrey United Firefighters. Jones and Scott kept the vaunted Surrey United attackers—Rizal Ganief and Cam Wilson—at bay throughout the match, and helped immensely as goalkeeper Mathew Bird recorded his 5th clean sheet of the season. For their excellent performances this past weekend, KINGSLEY JONES and BROOK SCOTT will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-12-03.
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One major upset took place this past weekend as Westside FC continued to climb up the ladder as a result of its surprising 4-1 victory over the frustrated Columbus FC. Meanwhile, the Metro-Ford Wolves reclaimed possession of first place by soundly defeating the aspiring Surrey United Firefighters by a 3-0 margin, while the young Norvan Pacific got out of last place by holding the visiting ICST Pegasus to a 2-2 tie. In another big match, Delta United was held to a 1-1 tie by ICSF Inter, thus spoiling Delta’s hopes of remaining in first place in the highly competitive Premier Division.
WEST VAN FC – SAPPERTON ROVERS 1-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the former Trollers continued their 3-game unbeaten streak with a narrow, but well-deserved, 1-0 victory over the visiting Rovers. Sapperton began the game in a very defensive manner and relied heavily on counter-attacks as West Van applied a lot of pressure in search of the all-important opening goal. Despite its clear-cut territorial advantage, West Van was held scoreless for the first 70 minutes of the match, due mainly to some solid defending on the part of Sapperton’s Ted Ullrich, Brody Phillips, and Woody Bradford. It should also be mentioned that goalkeeper Garth Lagasse also played brilliantly throughout the contest, despite dislocating his shoulder in the early going. However, at about the 70th minute mark, the defending VMSL champions finally took the lead when veteran Paul Dailly found a wide-open Robbie Giezen with one of his patented long-range passes. Giezen controlled the ball with poise and composure and then drilled it into the Sapperton net for the game’s lone goal. Late in the match, Sapperton’s Jason Pierotti almost levelled the score as his shot from close-range—after having received a great pass from Shawn Blakeway—sailed just over the crossbar. West Van’s young Alan McIndoe once again demonstrated a remarkable work ethic as he controlled the middle of the park throughout the entire match. As a result of the victory, West Van FC is now in fourth place in the Premier Division standings, while the loss drops the Rovers into a last-place tie with Croatia SC and Richmond FC Hibernians.
NORVAN PACIFIC – ICST PEGASUS 2-2: On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, the former Eagles held the hot-and-cold ICST Pegasus to a 2-2 tie after an exciting and well-played 90 minutes of non-stop action. Norvan dominated proceedings in the first half and took a well-deserved lead at the 30th minute mark when young Nathan Harte picked up a loose ball at the edge of the penalty area, cut inside and unleashed a wicked left-foot drive that found the back of the net. Norvan could have added to its margin during the first half of play but Colin Soo’s great shot hit the cross-bar, while Blake Burgon watched agonizingly as goalkeeper Paul Sandhu made a great save on a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net. Early in the second half, Nathan Harte added his second goal of the match on a well-taken free kick from well outside the penalty area, a shot that curled into the top corner of the Pegasus net. Norvan’s second goal appeared to be the wake-up call that the visitors needed as they started to take over the reins of the match by exerting a lot of pressure on the young Norvan defenders. Midway through the second half, Maysam Soltani narrowed the margin on a long-range missile of a shot that could easily qualify as the goal of the season! With 20 minutes remaining in the game, Ryan Green tied things up as he finished off a two-way passing play involving Rob Hall and Jag Sajan. Amazingly, Norvan fought back and almost regained the lead in the late stages of the match but a breakaway opportunity by Blake Burgon was thwarted by another phenomenal save by veteran—and newly-signed—replacement goalkeeper, Paul Sandhu. Pegasus’ Chetan Jhooty played extremely well, particularly in the second half as he led his team’s comeback with his indomitable work rate. Norvan’s Mark Kryss and LaVere Corben Ong should also be mentioned for their outstanding defensive performances throughout the entire match. The single point was more important to Norvan than Pegasus as it helped the young North Shore team climb out of last place, while the visitors have now dropped to 6th place in the Premier Division standings.
WESTSIDE FC – COLUMBUS FC 4-1: Also on Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, Westside FC continued to surprise and impress as a result of an upset 4-1 victory over the heavily-favoured ‘Italians’. Once again, the Westsiders invited the opponents to pressure by using a very strategic 4-5-1 formation and, once again, the tactic worked perfectly. Columbus dominated the first 30 minutes of play, creating numerous goalscoring opportunities that went awry, mostly due to some fine goalkeeping on the part of Rowan Anders and some poor finishing by its attackers. In particular, Anders pulled off a couple of great saves, the first one on a close-range header by Steve Frazao and the second on a long-range free kick by Ylya Malek. Also, a header by Kozo Manome—on a well-taken free kick by Aaron Keay—went just wide of the far post, while Steve DeBlasio’s brilliant long-range shot also barely missed the net. But, as luck would have it, it was Westside FC that took the lead shortly thereafter as Ian Sandilands took advantage of a goalmouth scramble—as a result of a corner kick—and found the back of the net with a well-placed shot. The second half saw Westside FC—led by the excellent performances of Sam Wallace, Ian Sandilands, James Brown, and Cedric Lunel—defend very well as the visitors were trying desperately to restore parity. At the 60th minute mark, Jay Kent-Hume chipped the ball over the head of Columbus’ goalkeeper Thomas Lindley after having raced in from the middle of the park on a counter-attack for his team’s second, and winning, goal. Westside’s third goal was scored shortly thereafter on a brilliant, unstoppable shot by James Brown. The Westsiders added insult to Columbus’ injury at the 70th minute mark as Ian Sandilands neatly converted a corner kick by slotting the ball into the top corner of the net. After Westside had been reduced to 10 men—due to the expulsion of Graeme Webber for a serious foul play infraction—Columbus finally scored a late goal when Ben Hunt finished off a fine cross by Robbie Cairns to spoil Rowan Anders’ shutout. The upset victory—Westside’s third in the last four games—lifts the underdog Westsiders out of last place and into the middle of the pack, only one point behind Columbus FC.
COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES – SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS 3-0: The third Saturday game was played at Cloverdale Athletic Park between two of the top teams in the Premier Division: the Surrey United Firefighters and the Metro-Ford Wolves. Both teams needed a victory to lay claim to the top spot in the standings and, as a result, the match was a hard-fought and highly-contested affair. After Surrey had tested Metro-Ford’s goalkeeper Mathew Bird a few times in the opening minutes, the Wolves scored with virtually their first attacking foray of the game as Azad Palani created a bit of space for himself at the top of the penalty area and hammered home an unstoppable shot. Midway through the first half, the Wolves doubled their lead when veteran Joey Scigliano did well to evade a defensive tackle and neatly slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the net. In the second half, the Firefighters fought back tenaciously in search of their all-important first goal but were thwarted by some excellent defending on the part of Kingsley Jones and Brook Scott. In fact, both Metro-Ford central defenders were virtually flawless as they kept the vaunted Surrey United attackers—Cam Wilson and Rizal Ganief—at bay throughtout the match. Metro-Ford’s goalkeeper, Mathew Bird, must also be commended for earning his 5th shutout of the season with a brilliant performance. In particular, with the Wolves defending their 2-0 lead, Bird came up with an incredible save on a close-range header by Lucas Barrett, a header that appeared destined for the back of the net. Late in the match, Metro-Ford inserted 3 youth call-ups—Domenic Delli Santi, Paul Clerc, and Carlo Basso—into the line-up and, once again, the young lads acquitted themselves remarkably well. In fact, Basso scored his second goal of the season for the Wolves in the late going as he raced in all alone after picking up a loose ball near the middle of the park. The central midfield partnership of Andrew Veer and Oliver Heald also worked tirelessly in controlling the overall tempo of the match. The result catapults the Wolves over the Firefighters into first place in the Premier Division standings.
DELTA UNITED – ICSF INTER 1-1: On Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in downtown Delta, the red-hot Delta United was held to a 1-1 tie by the visiting ‘Italians’. The game was very evenly played and the tie was a fair result as both teams battled hard throughout the contest. Inter almost took the lead in the early going as GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca was robbed by a great save on the part of Delta’s goalkeeper, Brian Brum. However, early in the second half, Delta took the lead as Harpreet Khakh made a fine run down the right flank before crossing the ball onto the path of CJ Greenside who proceeded to blast it into the net, giving goalkeeper Giancarlo Martino no chance whatsoever. Inter fought back tenaciously and finally tied things up at the 78th minute mark as Sheldon Maistry and newly-signed Paul Bolina combined to set up Tino Cucca for the equalizer. It should be mentioned that it was Cucca’s 9th goal of the season! Both goalkeepers—Inter’s Giancarlo Martino and Delta’s Brian Brum—came up with great saves very late in the match to preserve the tie for their teams. Defensively, playing-coach Steve Millar and Brian Fowler played extremely well for Delta United, while midfielder Mike Winter and defender Liam Smith turned in outstanding performances for ICSF Inter. The tie is a disappointing result for both teams as they are both trying desperately to gain promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League and need to be in the top 4 positions to achieve that goal.
CROATIA SC – RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 2-1: The second Sunday game, between two struggling teams—Croatia SC and the Richmond FC Hibernians—was played at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver and ended in narrow 2-1 victory for the Croatians. The first half was controlled almost entirely by the home team, while the Hibernians bounced back in the second half and dictated the pace of the match, albeit to no avail. Croatia SC took the lead at the 30th minute mark when Ryan Zaharija made a perfect late run to the back post and impeccably slotted home Chris Craveiro’s perfectly-placed low cross. Ten minutes later, the Croatians doubled their lead on a goal by Marinko Maras as he chipped the ball over the Richmond goalkeeper—Valerian Wiebe—after having been sent in all alone on a great pass by Brad Haga. Shortly thereafter, newly-transferred Philip Koiter almost put the game out of the Hibs’ reach but his hard, low shot was brilliantly saved by Wiebe. The second half told a totally different story as Richmond FC tried desperately to get back into the contest by demonstrating a great deal of grit and determination. The insertion of midfielder Graeme Poole and striker Erik Olsen made a huge difference as the Hibernians took control of the match and finally got on the scoreboard at the 65th minute of play. A brilliant 3-way passing play—involving Jon Bula, Brad Caldwell, and Alan Chivers—was converted into Richmond’s goal by Graeme Poole. The Hibs continued to press for the equalizer and came close on a few occasions, but some poor finishing—as well as some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Allan Connor—kept the score at 2-1 in Croatia’s favour till the final whistle. The result leaves both teams tied for last place—along with the Sapperton Rovers—in the Premier Division standings.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: WESTSIDE FC for its excellent performance in upsetting Columbus FC by a clear-cut 4-1 margin. This is the third upset victory for the Westsiders as they have climbed out of last place with a vengeance after a very poor start to the season. Using their patented 4-5-1 formation, the underdogs defended tenaciously throughout the contest and counter-attacked lethally on several occasions. It should be noted that Ian Sandilands scored twice in leading his team to the all-important victory.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Metro-Ford Wolves’ central defenders KINGSLEY JONES and BROOK SCOTT for their majestic performances in guiding their team to an all-important 3-0 victory over the Surrey United Firefighters. Jones and Scott kept the vaunted Surrey United attackers—Rizal Ganief and Cam Wilson—at bay throughout the match, and helped immensely as goalkeeper Mathew Bird recorded his 5th clean sheet of the season. For their excellent performances this past weekend, KINGSLEY JONES and BROOK SCOTT will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-12-03.
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- Thread starter
- #24
WEEK #10—2009-11-16
Things are getting more and more interesting and very intense in the highly competitive Premier Division as all 6 matches played this past weekend were hard-fought and very competitive. No major upsets took place, although ICST Pegasus’ victory over Delta United could be considered a surprise result due to the fact that the Delta lads had a 3-point advantage over their opponents prior to kick-off. At the top of the standings, Surrey United reclaimed a share of first place by bouncing back from last week’s defeat while, at the other end of the table, Croatia SC rose out of the basement, leaving the Sapperton Rovers and the Richmond FC Hibernians mired in last place.
WEST VAN FC - ICSF INTER 3-2: On Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, the former Trollers edged the host ICSF squad by a 3-2 margin after a very exciting and entertaining 90 minutes of non-stop action. West Van came flying out of the starting gate and, had it not been for some incredible goalkeeping on the part of Erman Ozkan, could easily have led by 3 goals in the first 10 minutes of play. On the first save, Ozkan literally robbed former Whitecap Justin Thompson with a miraculous save on a superb shot. Shortly thereafter, Ozkan thwarted Ryan Glanville as the West Van forward went in on goal all alone on a clear-cut breakaway. Ozkan’s third fantastic save came on a rocket of a shot from the foot of Robbie Giezen, a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net. As luck would have it, however, it was Inter that took the lead at about the 15th minute mark when, against the run of play, Michael Winter was tripped inside the West Van penalty area by former teammate Tim Perry. On the ensuing penalty kick, GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca made no mistake as he slotted the ball into the back of the net for the go-ahead goal. The visitors bounced back and regained control of the match and finally tied things up at about the 35th minute mark when Tim Perry made amends for his previous faux pas by setting up speedy Omari Aldridge with a great through ball. Aldridge then proceeded to unleash a wicked long-range drive that found the top right hand corner of the net. Early in the second half, however, Inter regained the lead with Tino Cucca and Michael Winter once again involved in the play. On this occasion, Cucca’s shot from the edge of the penalty area bounced off the goalpost and found a wide-open Winter who made no mistake in driving the ball home for Inter’s second goal. The visitors, led by veterans Paul Dailly and Mike Dodd, bounced back tenaciously and tied things up midway through the second half as Dodd converted a Dailly well-executed corner kick into the tying goal. With about 15 minutes left in the match, West Van FC finally took the well-deserved lead as Dailly scored a brilliant goal on one of his patented long-range free kicks from outside the penalty area. Near the end of the match, West Van came close to adding the insurance marker but young Robbie Giezen’s powerful header—on a wonderful cross from Justin Thompson—bounced off the goalpost and out of danger. Defensively, Leo Nash and Tim Perry were outstanding in the West Van backline while midfielder Mike Winter and goalkeeper Erman Ozkan turned in superlative performances for Inter, albeit in a losing cause. The positive result elevates the defending champions to third place in the Premier Division standings, while ICSF Inter is now in sixth place with a record of 3-5-2.
METRO-FORD WOLVES - WESTSIDE FC 1-1: Also on Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, the visiting Westsiders recorded their 5th consecutive positive result by holding the heavily-favoured Wolves to a 1-1 tie. After losing its first 5 games of the season, Westside FC has bounced back with a vengeance and has gained 11 points (3 victories and 2 ties) in the last 5 games. The visitors got off to a bright start and were rewarded for their efforts at about the 15th minute mark when Jay Kent-Hume struck a fantastic half-volley from the corner of the penalty area, a shot that found the back of the net. That seemed to be the wake-up call the Wolves needed as they started to take over the reins of the match with some excellent ball control. However, the Westside defenders---led by James Possee and Brian Reems, as well as goalkeeper Rowan Anders—stood up to the challenge and kept the vaunted Metro-Ford attackers off the scoresheet for the remainder of the first half. In the second half, the insertion of veteran midfielder Oliver Heald paid huge dividends for the Wolves as he notched his first goal of the season after a clever passing play involving Alfredo Valente, Emilio Bottiglieri, and Russel Huggon. At this point, Westside FC seemed content to defend and counter-attack and managed to keep the first-place Wolves off the scoreboard for the rest of the match. In fact, it was Westside that almost scored the winner in the dying moments of the game as John Stonehocker—after having received a great pass from Indy Khabra—drilled his close-range shot over the crossbar. It should be mentioned that youth call-up Paul Clerc played extremely well in the Metro-Ford backline throughout the entire contest. The Wolves now share first place with the Surrey United Firefighters, although the Firemen have a game in hand.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - SAPPERTON ROVERS 2-0: On Saturday, at Queen’s Park Stadium in New Westminster, the Firefighters rebounded from last week’s embarrassing defeat to the Metro-Ford Wolves by beating the Sapperton Rovers and thus regaining a share of first place in the Premier Division standings. It must be said, however, that the Rovers extended Surrey United to the limits with a typical gritty and strong-battling performance. Even though the Firemen enjoyed the territorial advantage, it was Sapperton that looked very dangerous on counter-attacks and only two great saves by goalkeeper Drew Smiley—on shots by Jason Pierotti—prevented the home team from taking the lead during the first half. However, it was Surrey United’s midfield maestro—Tyler Rosenlund—who had the best scoring chance in the first half as he cheekily tried to chip the ball over goalkeeper Ken Waechter only to lob the ball directly into the arms of the thankful keeper. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first, with the Firemen doing most of the pressing and the Rovers—led by defenders Sidd Achuthan and Ted Ullrich—defending with a lot of determination and counter-attacking very dangerously. Once again, Sapperton came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, but shots by Jason Pierotti and Reyhan Ismail bounced off the post and out of danger with goalkeeper Drew Smiley well-beaten. Midway through the second half, Surrey United took the lead when a well-placed corner kick by Tyler Rosenlund found second half substitute Angus Burke all alone at the top of the box. Burke proceeded to deftly chip the ball over Waechter’s outstretched hands and into the top left corner of the net for what proved to be the winning goal. Five minutes later, Burke linked up with veteran Jeff Skinner who streaked down the left flank before firing a perfect cross to a wide-open Rizal Ganief who had not trouble whatsoever in converting it into the insurance marker. All in all, a very well-played match between two teams at both ends of the table—proof positive of the amazing parity in the VMSL’s Premier Division!!!
COLUMBUS FC - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 2-1: Also on Saturday, at Minoru Oval in Richmond, Columbus FC got back in the running for promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League by edging the last-place Hibs by a 2-1 margin. The underdog home team got off to a great start and applied a lot of pressure on the Columbus defence during the early part of the first half. The Hibernians were finally rewarded when Brad Caldwell sent Chase Wickham down the left flank with an impeccable through ball. Wickham proceeded to beat a couple of Columbus defenders before unleashing a far post shot that was inadvertently deflected into his own net by Jonathan Poli. After the goal, Richmond FC continued to press in search of what might have been the insurance marker and came close on a couple of occasions on missed chances by Brad Caldwell and Tim Sowerby. The second half told a totally different story as the ‘Italians’ bounced back with grit and determination in search of a positive result. Columbus was finally rewarded at the 10th minute mark when Steve DeBlasio set up veteran Tiernan King with a perfectly-placed cross that King converted into the tying goal. Ten minutes later, Columbus’ King and DeBlasio reversed roles as King became the provider and DeBlasio the finisher on a well-executed passing play that also involved Nathan Quan. Midfielder Scott McEachern also played very well for Columbus, while Richmond midfielders Graeme Poole, Mike Revelle, and Alan Chivers worked tirelessly throughout the contest, albeit in a losing cause.
ICST PEGASUS - DELTA UNITED 1-0: On a rainy and windy Sunday, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, ICST Pegasus climbed into a 4th place tie with Delta United by defeating the visiting team by a narrow 1-0 margin. Pegasus scored very early in the match—on a great long-range drive by Meysam Soltani—and then defended very well during the remaining part of the game. It should be mentioned that Paul Bahia set up Soltani after capitalizing on an unusual defensive blunder by John Blair. The entire Pegasus backline—composed of Andrew Reed, Jag Sajan, Carlos Dhaliwal, and veteran Rob Hall—played extremely well during the entire game, while goalkeeper Andy Singh rose to the occasion several times by punching away countless crosses and sliding out regularly to cover dangerous through balls. The entire second half was dominated by Delta United as the visitors came very close to knotting the score on several occasions. In particular, Mike Gomes—after receiving a great pass from Harpreet Khakh—drove a wicked shot towards Singh’s goal only to watch it ring off the goalpost. Soon thereafter, Khakh headed a John Blair cross towards the goal but Singh made a miraculous save to maintain his team’s lead. Pegasus midfielder Paul Bahia and Delta defender Steve Millar should also be mentioned for turning in excellent performances during the entire match.
CROATIA SC - NORVAN PACIFIC 2-1: Also on Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, Croatia SC climbed out of last place by defeating the visiting former Eagles by a narrow, but well-earned, 2-1 margin. The Croatians took the early lead at the 12th minute mark when Marinko Maras took advantage of a defensive blunder and powered his way towards the Norvan goal before slotting the ball home. Soon thereafter, Maras became the provider as he set up teammate Ryan Zaharija who had his shot brilliantly saved by veteran goalkeeper Steve London. Early in the second half, Croatia’s Cristian Tropeano beat a defender down the left flank and played a square ball across the goal area to an onrushing Chris Craveiro who did well to place it behind Steve London for what proved to be the winning goal. Midway through the second half, Norvan narrowed the margin when young Kyle Guay picked up a loose ball at the right corner of the penalty area a let go a blazing left foot drive that found its way to the back of net, despite goalkeeper Allan Connor’s fine effort. Norvan forwards Blake Burgon and Matt Harwell worked tirelessly throughout the match, albeit in a losing cause, while Croatia midfielder Marinko Maras was a going concern for the entire 90 minutes.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: ICST PEGASUS for its gutsy performance in defeating the highly favoured Delta United by a narrow 1-0 margin. Led by the excellent play of defenders Rob Hall, Jag Sajan, Carlos Dhaliwal, and Andrew Reed, Pegasus was able to keep the vaunted Delta attackers off the scoresheet throughout the entire 90 minutes. It should also be mentioned that goalkeeper Andy Singh turned in an exceptional performance while Meysam Soltani scored what might qualify as the goal of the season with a brilliant long-range shot.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Crotia SC’s midfielder MARINKO MARAS for his outstanding performance in his team’s 2-1 victory over Norvan Pacific. Not only did Maras score his team’s first goal—on a fine individual effort—but his set up numerous other goalscoring opportunities as he never stopped frustrating Norvan’s defenders with his pace, skill, and immeasurable work ethic. For his excellent performance, MARINKO MARAS will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-12-03.
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Things are getting more and more interesting and very intense in the highly competitive Premier Division as all 6 matches played this past weekend were hard-fought and very competitive. No major upsets took place, although ICST Pegasus’ victory over Delta United could be considered a surprise result due to the fact that the Delta lads had a 3-point advantage over their opponents prior to kick-off. At the top of the standings, Surrey United reclaimed a share of first place by bouncing back from last week’s defeat while, at the other end of the table, Croatia SC rose out of the basement, leaving the Sapperton Rovers and the Richmond FC Hibernians mired in last place.
WEST VAN FC - ICSF INTER 3-2: On Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, the former Trollers edged the host ICSF squad by a 3-2 margin after a very exciting and entertaining 90 minutes of non-stop action. West Van came flying out of the starting gate and, had it not been for some incredible goalkeeping on the part of Erman Ozkan, could easily have led by 3 goals in the first 10 minutes of play. On the first save, Ozkan literally robbed former Whitecap Justin Thompson with a miraculous save on a superb shot. Shortly thereafter, Ozkan thwarted Ryan Glanville as the West Van forward went in on goal all alone on a clear-cut breakaway. Ozkan’s third fantastic save came on a rocket of a shot from the foot of Robbie Giezen, a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net. As luck would have it, however, it was Inter that took the lead at about the 15th minute mark when, against the run of play, Michael Winter was tripped inside the West Van penalty area by former teammate Tim Perry. On the ensuing penalty kick, GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca made no mistake as he slotted the ball into the back of the net for the go-ahead goal. The visitors bounced back and regained control of the match and finally tied things up at about the 35th minute mark when Tim Perry made amends for his previous faux pas by setting up speedy Omari Aldridge with a great through ball. Aldridge then proceeded to unleash a wicked long-range drive that found the top right hand corner of the net. Early in the second half, however, Inter regained the lead with Tino Cucca and Michael Winter once again involved in the play. On this occasion, Cucca’s shot from the edge of the penalty area bounced off the goalpost and found a wide-open Winter who made no mistake in driving the ball home for Inter’s second goal. The visitors, led by veterans Paul Dailly and Mike Dodd, bounced back tenaciously and tied things up midway through the second half as Dodd converted a Dailly well-executed corner kick into the tying goal. With about 15 minutes left in the match, West Van FC finally took the well-deserved lead as Dailly scored a brilliant goal on one of his patented long-range free kicks from outside the penalty area. Near the end of the match, West Van came close to adding the insurance marker but young Robbie Giezen’s powerful header—on a wonderful cross from Justin Thompson—bounced off the goalpost and out of danger. Defensively, Leo Nash and Tim Perry were outstanding in the West Van backline while midfielder Mike Winter and goalkeeper Erman Ozkan turned in superlative performances for Inter, albeit in a losing cause. The positive result elevates the defending champions to third place in the Premier Division standings, while ICSF Inter is now in sixth place with a record of 3-5-2.
METRO-FORD WOLVES - WESTSIDE FC 1-1: Also on Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, the visiting Westsiders recorded their 5th consecutive positive result by holding the heavily-favoured Wolves to a 1-1 tie. After losing its first 5 games of the season, Westside FC has bounced back with a vengeance and has gained 11 points (3 victories and 2 ties) in the last 5 games. The visitors got off to a bright start and were rewarded for their efforts at about the 15th minute mark when Jay Kent-Hume struck a fantastic half-volley from the corner of the penalty area, a shot that found the back of the net. That seemed to be the wake-up call the Wolves needed as they started to take over the reins of the match with some excellent ball control. However, the Westside defenders---led by James Possee and Brian Reems, as well as goalkeeper Rowan Anders—stood up to the challenge and kept the vaunted Metro-Ford attackers off the scoresheet for the remainder of the first half. In the second half, the insertion of veteran midfielder Oliver Heald paid huge dividends for the Wolves as he notched his first goal of the season after a clever passing play involving Alfredo Valente, Emilio Bottiglieri, and Russel Huggon. At this point, Westside FC seemed content to defend and counter-attack and managed to keep the first-place Wolves off the scoreboard for the rest of the match. In fact, it was Westside that almost scored the winner in the dying moments of the game as John Stonehocker—after having received a great pass from Indy Khabra—drilled his close-range shot over the crossbar. It should be mentioned that youth call-up Paul Clerc played extremely well in the Metro-Ford backline throughout the entire contest. The Wolves now share first place with the Surrey United Firefighters, although the Firemen have a game in hand.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - SAPPERTON ROVERS 2-0: On Saturday, at Queen’s Park Stadium in New Westminster, the Firefighters rebounded from last week’s embarrassing defeat to the Metro-Ford Wolves by beating the Sapperton Rovers and thus regaining a share of first place in the Premier Division standings. It must be said, however, that the Rovers extended Surrey United to the limits with a typical gritty and strong-battling performance. Even though the Firemen enjoyed the territorial advantage, it was Sapperton that looked very dangerous on counter-attacks and only two great saves by goalkeeper Drew Smiley—on shots by Jason Pierotti—prevented the home team from taking the lead during the first half. However, it was Surrey United’s midfield maestro—Tyler Rosenlund—who had the best scoring chance in the first half as he cheekily tried to chip the ball over goalkeeper Ken Waechter only to lob the ball directly into the arms of the thankful keeper. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first, with the Firemen doing most of the pressing and the Rovers—led by defenders Sidd Achuthan and Ted Ullrich—defending with a lot of determination and counter-attacking very dangerously. Once again, Sapperton came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, but shots by Jason Pierotti and Reyhan Ismail bounced off the post and out of danger with goalkeeper Drew Smiley well-beaten. Midway through the second half, Surrey United took the lead when a well-placed corner kick by Tyler Rosenlund found second half substitute Angus Burke all alone at the top of the box. Burke proceeded to deftly chip the ball over Waechter’s outstretched hands and into the top left corner of the net for what proved to be the winning goal. Five minutes later, Burke linked up with veteran Jeff Skinner who streaked down the left flank before firing a perfect cross to a wide-open Rizal Ganief who had not trouble whatsoever in converting it into the insurance marker. All in all, a very well-played match between two teams at both ends of the table—proof positive of the amazing parity in the VMSL’s Premier Division!!!
COLUMBUS FC - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 2-1: Also on Saturday, at Minoru Oval in Richmond, Columbus FC got back in the running for promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League by edging the last-place Hibs by a 2-1 margin. The underdog home team got off to a great start and applied a lot of pressure on the Columbus defence during the early part of the first half. The Hibernians were finally rewarded when Brad Caldwell sent Chase Wickham down the left flank with an impeccable through ball. Wickham proceeded to beat a couple of Columbus defenders before unleashing a far post shot that was inadvertently deflected into his own net by Jonathan Poli. After the goal, Richmond FC continued to press in search of what might have been the insurance marker and came close on a couple of occasions on missed chances by Brad Caldwell and Tim Sowerby. The second half told a totally different story as the ‘Italians’ bounced back with grit and determination in search of a positive result. Columbus was finally rewarded at the 10th minute mark when Steve DeBlasio set up veteran Tiernan King with a perfectly-placed cross that King converted into the tying goal. Ten minutes later, Columbus’ King and DeBlasio reversed roles as King became the provider and DeBlasio the finisher on a well-executed passing play that also involved Nathan Quan. Midfielder Scott McEachern also played very well for Columbus, while Richmond midfielders Graeme Poole, Mike Revelle, and Alan Chivers worked tirelessly throughout the contest, albeit in a losing cause.
ICST PEGASUS - DELTA UNITED 1-0: On a rainy and windy Sunday, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, ICST Pegasus climbed into a 4th place tie with Delta United by defeating the visiting team by a narrow 1-0 margin. Pegasus scored very early in the match—on a great long-range drive by Meysam Soltani—and then defended very well during the remaining part of the game. It should be mentioned that Paul Bahia set up Soltani after capitalizing on an unusual defensive blunder by John Blair. The entire Pegasus backline—composed of Andrew Reed, Jag Sajan, Carlos Dhaliwal, and veteran Rob Hall—played extremely well during the entire game, while goalkeeper Andy Singh rose to the occasion several times by punching away countless crosses and sliding out regularly to cover dangerous through balls. The entire second half was dominated by Delta United as the visitors came very close to knotting the score on several occasions. In particular, Mike Gomes—after receiving a great pass from Harpreet Khakh—drove a wicked shot towards Singh’s goal only to watch it ring off the goalpost. Soon thereafter, Khakh headed a John Blair cross towards the goal but Singh made a miraculous save to maintain his team’s lead. Pegasus midfielder Paul Bahia and Delta defender Steve Millar should also be mentioned for turning in excellent performances during the entire match.
CROATIA SC - NORVAN PACIFIC 2-1: Also on Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, Croatia SC climbed out of last place by defeating the visiting former Eagles by a narrow, but well-earned, 2-1 margin. The Croatians took the early lead at the 12th minute mark when Marinko Maras took advantage of a defensive blunder and powered his way towards the Norvan goal before slotting the ball home. Soon thereafter, Maras became the provider as he set up teammate Ryan Zaharija who had his shot brilliantly saved by veteran goalkeeper Steve London. Early in the second half, Croatia’s Cristian Tropeano beat a defender down the left flank and played a square ball across the goal area to an onrushing Chris Craveiro who did well to place it behind Steve London for what proved to be the winning goal. Midway through the second half, Norvan narrowed the margin when young Kyle Guay picked up a loose ball at the right corner of the penalty area a let go a blazing left foot drive that found its way to the back of net, despite goalkeeper Allan Connor’s fine effort. Norvan forwards Blake Burgon and Matt Harwell worked tirelessly throughout the match, albeit in a losing cause, while Croatia midfielder Marinko Maras was a going concern for the entire 90 minutes.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: ICST PEGASUS for its gutsy performance in defeating the highly favoured Delta United by a narrow 1-0 margin. Led by the excellent play of defenders Rob Hall, Jag Sajan, Carlos Dhaliwal, and Andrew Reed, Pegasus was able to keep the vaunted Delta attackers off the scoresheet throughout the entire 90 minutes. It should also be mentioned that goalkeeper Andy Singh turned in an exceptional performance while Meysam Soltani scored what might qualify as the goal of the season with a brilliant long-range shot.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Crotia SC’s midfielder MARINKO MARAS for his outstanding performance in his team’s 2-1 victory over Norvan Pacific. Not only did Maras score his team’s first goal—on a fine individual effort—but his set up numerous other goalscoring opportunities as he never stopped frustrating Norvan’s defenders with his pace, skill, and immeasurable work ethic. For his excellent performance, MARINKO MARAS will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-12-03.
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- Thread starter
- #25
WEEK #11—2009-11-23
The Premier Division reached the halfway point of its season this past weekend, with 7 teams still in contention for the coveted title, all within 4 points of each other. The defending champions—West Van FC—finally climbed into sole possession of first place by virtue of a narrow 1-0 victory over the unpredictable ICST Pegasus while ICSF Inter and Columbus FC got back in the race for promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League with their mini-upset victories over Surrey United and Metro-Ford. At the other end of the table, the young and inexperienced Norvan Pacific sank to the bottom after suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Richmond FC Hibernians, while Westside FC and the Sapperton Rovers settled for a 0-0 tie, a result which is of little help to either team.
WEST VAN FC - ICST PEGASUS 1-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the resurging former Trollers gained sole possession of first place with a narrow, and hard-earned, 1-0 victory over the visiting Pegasus lads. Former teammates—and now coaching rivals—Dave Fiorvento and Rob Reed, led their respective teams to what promised to be an exciting 90 minutes of action. Unfortunately, however, the game turned out to be a rather listless affair as neither team seemed interested in taking any potentially dangerous risks. Pegasus got off to a good start and came close to taking the early lead when Goldie Takhar took advantage of an uncharacteristic West Van defensive blunder and raced in all alone towards West Van’s goal. Unfortunately for the visitors, Takhar’s attempted chip shot landed directly into the arms of goalkeeper Nick Boyd. West Van FC controlled most of the action for the remainder of the first half, but failed to create any really good goalscoring opportunities. The Pegasus backline—composed of Andrew Reed, Rob Hall, and Carlos Dhaliwal—was mostly responsible for keeping the score knotted at 0-0 till the halftime whistle. In the second half, Pegasus inserted newly-signed veteran Randy Celebrini into the line-up, in search of some badly-needed spark. However, the experienced West Van defence coped well with the skillful veteran and kept the visitors off the scoresheet for the entire match. It should also be mentioned that young Leo Nash was outstanding in the West Van defence as he limited former teammate Meysam Soltani’s chances to virtually zero with his indomitable defensive skills. Midway through the second half, West Van FC came very close to taking the lead when second-half substitute Corey Birza was set up brilliantly by former Whitecap Justin Thompson. However, Pegasus’ goalkeeper Andy Singh came up with a brave and spectacular save to keep his team in the match. Late in the game, however, West Van FC was finally able to gain the important 3 points when Birza made amends for his previous missed chance as he set up Thompson on a very well executed header. Thompson then unleashed a cracking shot that bounced off Singh’s arm and sneaked into the net for the game’s lone goal. As mentioned earlier, West Van FC is now all alone in first place, with a 6-2-2 record, while Pegasus slipped to 7th place, albeit only 4 points behind the leaders.
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS - NORVAN PACIFIC 3-0: On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, the Hibernians came storming out of their slump and climbed out of last place with a resounding 3-0 victory over the host Norvan team. Early in the match, the visitors took the lead when Stu Walters set up forward Brad Caldwell with and excellent through ball. Caldwell raced in all alone and was fouled inside the 18-yard box, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to Richmond FC. Erik Olsen proceeded to convert the spot shot for what proved to be the winning goal of the contest. The Hibs continued to set the pace of the match and exerted a lot of pressure on the young Norvan defence. Late in the first half, after Richmond goalkeeper Valerian Wiebe had been forced to make a couple of great saves on Norvan counter-attacks, the Hibs scored the insurance marker as Tim Sowerby, Brad Caldwell, Alan Chivers, and Chase Wickham combined to set up Erik Olsen for his second goal of the match. Another excellent passing play resulted in Richmond’s third goal midway through the second half as defender Mike Revelle got the ball rolling with a great pass to the feet of second half substitute Chris Jarvie who then proceeded to beat a Norvan defender before sending Reynold Stewart on a breakaway with a sublime pass. Stewart dribbled around goalkeeper Steve London and unselfishly squared the ball to a wide-open Chase Wickham who had no difficulty whatsoever in placing it into the back of the net for Richmond’s third and final goal. As mentioned earlier, the victory elevates Richmond FC out of last place, while the young Norvan lads are now mired at the bottom of the table with an unenviable 2-2-7 record.
ICSF INTER - SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS 2-1: Also on Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, ICSF Inter earned a share of 4th place in the Premier Division standings with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Surrey United, thus knocking the Firefighters out of first place. The home team got off to a bright start and came close to taking the lead in the early going but Lucas Barrett—on two occasions—and Jeff Clarke were unable to convert glorious goalscoring opportunities. Inter bounced back and enjoyed a good spell of play during the latter part of the first half and for most of the second half. At the 60th minute mark, Inter finally took the lead when a well-struck free kick from second-half substitute Adam Wallace eluded the clutches of a diving Drew Smiley and allowed Sheldon Maistry to pounce of the loose ball and steer it into the back of the net. Fifteen minutes later, Maistry added Inter’s—and his own—second goal as he made one of his patented runs, beat a few defenders and proceeded to unleash a superb strike which gave Smiley no chance whatsoever. Ten minutes before the final whistle, Surrey United got back into the match when defender Steve McAuley headed home a Justin Carvery corner kick. The goal set up the scene for a rousing finale as the Firemen poured forward in search of the equalizer. However, some extraordinary goalkeeping on the part of Erman Ozkan kept the hungry Surrey United forwards at bay. In particular, just before the final whistle, Ozkan was able to brilliantly save a powerful shot by Angus Burke after Burke had been set up by a clever pass on the part of Lucas Barrett. Midfielders Mike Winter and Sheldon Maistry—as well as defenders Jesse Dhami, Lee Tregonning, Liam Smith, and Bevan Footman—turned in excellent performances for ICSF Inter, who had to endure the absence of top goalscorer Tino Cucca and captain Mike Tempesta—due to suspensions. The Firefighters thus drop to second place, while Inter climbs to a fourth place tie with Delta United and Columbus FC.
WESTSIDE FC - SAPPERTON ROVERS 0-0: Also on Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, Westside FC continued its impressive 6-game undefeated streak by drawing 0-0 with the visiting, and point-hungry, Sapperton Rovers. The first half was evenly-contested as neither team was able to create many goalscoring chances. Westside’s James Brown came the closest to scoring for the home team but his shot went just wide of the mark as he raced in on a partial breakaway. At the other end of the pitch, veteran goalkeeper Geoff Ayi-Bonte made a phenomenal save on a blistering full-volley by Jason Pierotti from the edge of the penalty area. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as both teams battled hard but were unable to score the all-important opening goal. Once again, Pierotti had the best chance to score for the Rovers after being set up by Mike Favaro and Colin Phillips. However, Pierotti’s close-range shot sailed just wide of the net, leaving the game deadlocked till the final whistle. As a result, the Rovers remain in a last place tie with Norvan Pacific, while the Westsiders appear to be out of the dreaded relegation zone with a 3-3-5 record.
COLUMBUS FC - METRO-FORD WOLVES 2-0: On Sunday, at Andy Livingstone Park, Columbus FC climbed closer to the top of the Premier Division ladder with an impressive 2-0 victory over the visiting Coquitlamites. After both teams had created a few goalscoring chances, the ‘Italians’ took the lead midway through the first half as they took advantage of a lethal counter-attack as midfielder Nathan Quan sent Steve DeBlasio flying down the left flank with a picture-perfect pass. DeBlasio, after racing in all alone, slotted the ball into the back of the net past an onrushing goalkeeper, Mathew Bird. At this point, Columbus took over the reins of the match as the Wolves appeared disgruntled and unable to battle back. The insurance marker was scored at about the 70th minute mark when Steve Frazao took advantage of a defensive blunder to set up veteran Tiarnan King at the edge of the penalty area. King proceeded to cleverly back-heel the ball to a wide open Aaron Keay who made no mistake in finding the far corner of the net with his perfectly-placed shot. The entire Columbus squad played extremely well, but special mention must be made of defenders Joel Malouf, Jonathan Poli, Kozo Manome, Tony Gaita, and Robbie Cairns for their impressive performances in holding the vaunted Metro-Ford attackers scoreless for the entire match and thus making life reasonably easy for goalkeeper Thomas Lindley as he recorded his sixth shutout of the season. Midfielders Nathan Quan and Scott McEachearn and forwards Steve DeBlasio and Tiarnan King also played extremely well for the victors. For the Wolves, midfielders Russel Huggon and Jovan Blagojevic, as well as goalkeeper Mathew Bird, turned in excellent performances, albeit in a losing cause. The loss drops the Wolves out of first place, while Columbus FC is now tied with Delta United and ICSF Inter for the all-important 4th place spot.
DELTA UNITED - CROATIA SC 1-1: Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, Croatia SC held Delta United to a 1-1 draw after a rather uneventful 90 minutes of play. Neither team demonstrated any real desire to gather all 3 points and, therefore, the final 1-1 score can be considered a fair result. Delta took the early lead as a well-taken corner kick by Mark Gomes was headed into the back of the net by younger brother Mike Gomes. The Croatians came back strongly in the second half and, after coming close to equalizing on a couple of occasions, were finally rewarded at the 80th minute mark when former professional Johnny Sulentic hammered home a long-range shot after receiving a great pass from Chris Craveiro. Delta midfielder Brian Gebbie played very well throughout the match, while Brian Fowler was very solid on the backline. For the Croatians, Johnny Sulentic turned in a very impressive midfield performance, while forward Cristian Tropeano and midfielder Robin Hart also played very well. The tie does neither team a lot of good as they both needed all 3 points to remain in contention for a spot in next season’s BC Premier Soccer League.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: COLUMBUS FC for its impressive performance in defeating the highly regarded Metro-Ford Wolves by a decisive 2-0 margin. Led by the extraordinary midfield performances of Nathan Quan and Scott McEachearn, as well as some stubborn defending on the part of Tony Gaita, Jonathan Poli, Robbie Cairns, Kozo Manome, and young Joel Malouf, Columbus kept the Wolves off the scoresheet and fully deserved the entire 3 points. As a result of the all-important victory, the ‘Italians’ now find themselves in a 3-way tie for 4th place, only 3 points behind league-leading West Van FC.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ICSF Inter’s goalkeeper ERMAN OZKAN for his outstanding performance in his team’s 2-1 upset victory over the Surrey United Firefighters. On several occasions, Ozkan pulled off remarkable saves that kept his team in the running for all 3 points. In particular, just before the full time whistle, Ozkan literally robbed Angus Burke as he unleashed a wicked drive that seemed destined for the back of the net. For his excellent performance, ERMAN OZKAN will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-12-10.
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The Premier Division reached the halfway point of its season this past weekend, with 7 teams still in contention for the coveted title, all within 4 points of each other. The defending champions—West Van FC—finally climbed into sole possession of first place by virtue of a narrow 1-0 victory over the unpredictable ICST Pegasus while ICSF Inter and Columbus FC got back in the race for promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League with their mini-upset victories over Surrey United and Metro-Ford. At the other end of the table, the young and inexperienced Norvan Pacific sank to the bottom after suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Richmond FC Hibernians, while Westside FC and the Sapperton Rovers settled for a 0-0 tie, a result which is of little help to either team.
WEST VAN FC - ICST PEGASUS 1-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the resurging former Trollers gained sole possession of first place with a narrow, and hard-earned, 1-0 victory over the visiting Pegasus lads. Former teammates—and now coaching rivals—Dave Fiorvento and Rob Reed, led their respective teams to what promised to be an exciting 90 minutes of action. Unfortunately, however, the game turned out to be a rather listless affair as neither team seemed interested in taking any potentially dangerous risks. Pegasus got off to a good start and came close to taking the early lead when Goldie Takhar took advantage of an uncharacteristic West Van defensive blunder and raced in all alone towards West Van’s goal. Unfortunately for the visitors, Takhar’s attempted chip shot landed directly into the arms of goalkeeper Nick Boyd. West Van FC controlled most of the action for the remainder of the first half, but failed to create any really good goalscoring opportunities. The Pegasus backline—composed of Andrew Reed, Rob Hall, and Carlos Dhaliwal—was mostly responsible for keeping the score knotted at 0-0 till the halftime whistle. In the second half, Pegasus inserted newly-signed veteran Randy Celebrini into the line-up, in search of some badly-needed spark. However, the experienced West Van defence coped well with the skillful veteran and kept the visitors off the scoresheet for the entire match. It should also be mentioned that young Leo Nash was outstanding in the West Van defence as he limited former teammate Meysam Soltani’s chances to virtually zero with his indomitable defensive skills. Midway through the second half, West Van FC came very close to taking the lead when second-half substitute Corey Birza was set up brilliantly by former Whitecap Justin Thompson. However, Pegasus’ goalkeeper Andy Singh came up with a brave and spectacular save to keep his team in the match. Late in the game, however, West Van FC was finally able to gain the important 3 points when Birza made amends for his previous missed chance as he set up Thompson on a very well executed header. Thompson then unleashed a cracking shot that bounced off Singh’s arm and sneaked into the net for the game’s lone goal. As mentioned earlier, West Van FC is now all alone in first place, with a 6-2-2 record, while Pegasus slipped to 7th place, albeit only 4 points behind the leaders.
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS - NORVAN PACIFIC 3-0: On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, the Hibernians came storming out of their slump and climbed out of last place with a resounding 3-0 victory over the host Norvan team. Early in the match, the visitors took the lead when Stu Walters set up forward Brad Caldwell with and excellent through ball. Caldwell raced in all alone and was fouled inside the 18-yard box, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to Richmond FC. Erik Olsen proceeded to convert the spot shot for what proved to be the winning goal of the contest. The Hibs continued to set the pace of the match and exerted a lot of pressure on the young Norvan defence. Late in the first half, after Richmond goalkeeper Valerian Wiebe had been forced to make a couple of great saves on Norvan counter-attacks, the Hibs scored the insurance marker as Tim Sowerby, Brad Caldwell, Alan Chivers, and Chase Wickham combined to set up Erik Olsen for his second goal of the match. Another excellent passing play resulted in Richmond’s third goal midway through the second half as defender Mike Revelle got the ball rolling with a great pass to the feet of second half substitute Chris Jarvie who then proceeded to beat a Norvan defender before sending Reynold Stewart on a breakaway with a sublime pass. Stewart dribbled around goalkeeper Steve London and unselfishly squared the ball to a wide-open Chase Wickham who had no difficulty whatsoever in placing it into the back of the net for Richmond’s third and final goal. As mentioned earlier, the victory elevates Richmond FC out of last place, while the young Norvan lads are now mired at the bottom of the table with an unenviable 2-2-7 record.
ICSF INTER - SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS 2-1: Also on Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, ICSF Inter earned a share of 4th place in the Premier Division standings with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Surrey United, thus knocking the Firefighters out of first place. The home team got off to a bright start and came close to taking the lead in the early going but Lucas Barrett—on two occasions—and Jeff Clarke were unable to convert glorious goalscoring opportunities. Inter bounced back and enjoyed a good spell of play during the latter part of the first half and for most of the second half. At the 60th minute mark, Inter finally took the lead when a well-struck free kick from second-half substitute Adam Wallace eluded the clutches of a diving Drew Smiley and allowed Sheldon Maistry to pounce of the loose ball and steer it into the back of the net. Fifteen minutes later, Maistry added Inter’s—and his own—second goal as he made one of his patented runs, beat a few defenders and proceeded to unleash a superb strike which gave Smiley no chance whatsoever. Ten minutes before the final whistle, Surrey United got back into the match when defender Steve McAuley headed home a Justin Carvery corner kick. The goal set up the scene for a rousing finale as the Firemen poured forward in search of the equalizer. However, some extraordinary goalkeeping on the part of Erman Ozkan kept the hungry Surrey United forwards at bay. In particular, just before the final whistle, Ozkan was able to brilliantly save a powerful shot by Angus Burke after Burke had been set up by a clever pass on the part of Lucas Barrett. Midfielders Mike Winter and Sheldon Maistry—as well as defenders Jesse Dhami, Lee Tregonning, Liam Smith, and Bevan Footman—turned in excellent performances for ICSF Inter, who had to endure the absence of top goalscorer Tino Cucca and captain Mike Tempesta—due to suspensions. The Firefighters thus drop to second place, while Inter climbs to a fourth place tie with Delta United and Columbus FC.
WESTSIDE FC - SAPPERTON ROVERS 0-0: Also on Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, Westside FC continued its impressive 6-game undefeated streak by drawing 0-0 with the visiting, and point-hungry, Sapperton Rovers. The first half was evenly-contested as neither team was able to create many goalscoring chances. Westside’s James Brown came the closest to scoring for the home team but his shot went just wide of the mark as he raced in on a partial breakaway. At the other end of the pitch, veteran goalkeeper Geoff Ayi-Bonte made a phenomenal save on a blistering full-volley by Jason Pierotti from the edge of the penalty area. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as both teams battled hard but were unable to score the all-important opening goal. Once again, Pierotti had the best chance to score for the Rovers after being set up by Mike Favaro and Colin Phillips. However, Pierotti’s close-range shot sailed just wide of the net, leaving the game deadlocked till the final whistle. As a result, the Rovers remain in a last place tie with Norvan Pacific, while the Westsiders appear to be out of the dreaded relegation zone with a 3-3-5 record.
COLUMBUS FC - METRO-FORD WOLVES 2-0: On Sunday, at Andy Livingstone Park, Columbus FC climbed closer to the top of the Premier Division ladder with an impressive 2-0 victory over the visiting Coquitlamites. After both teams had created a few goalscoring chances, the ‘Italians’ took the lead midway through the first half as they took advantage of a lethal counter-attack as midfielder Nathan Quan sent Steve DeBlasio flying down the left flank with a picture-perfect pass. DeBlasio, after racing in all alone, slotted the ball into the back of the net past an onrushing goalkeeper, Mathew Bird. At this point, Columbus took over the reins of the match as the Wolves appeared disgruntled and unable to battle back. The insurance marker was scored at about the 70th minute mark when Steve Frazao took advantage of a defensive blunder to set up veteran Tiarnan King at the edge of the penalty area. King proceeded to cleverly back-heel the ball to a wide open Aaron Keay who made no mistake in finding the far corner of the net with his perfectly-placed shot. The entire Columbus squad played extremely well, but special mention must be made of defenders Joel Malouf, Jonathan Poli, Kozo Manome, Tony Gaita, and Robbie Cairns for their impressive performances in holding the vaunted Metro-Ford attackers scoreless for the entire match and thus making life reasonably easy for goalkeeper Thomas Lindley as he recorded his sixth shutout of the season. Midfielders Nathan Quan and Scott McEachearn and forwards Steve DeBlasio and Tiarnan King also played extremely well for the victors. For the Wolves, midfielders Russel Huggon and Jovan Blagojevic, as well as goalkeeper Mathew Bird, turned in excellent performances, albeit in a losing cause. The loss drops the Wolves out of first place, while Columbus FC is now tied with Delta United and ICSF Inter for the all-important 4th place spot.
DELTA UNITED - CROATIA SC 1-1: Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, Croatia SC held Delta United to a 1-1 draw after a rather uneventful 90 minutes of play. Neither team demonstrated any real desire to gather all 3 points and, therefore, the final 1-1 score can be considered a fair result. Delta took the early lead as a well-taken corner kick by Mark Gomes was headed into the back of the net by younger brother Mike Gomes. The Croatians came back strongly in the second half and, after coming close to equalizing on a couple of occasions, were finally rewarded at the 80th minute mark when former professional Johnny Sulentic hammered home a long-range shot after receiving a great pass from Chris Craveiro. Delta midfielder Brian Gebbie played very well throughout the match, while Brian Fowler was very solid on the backline. For the Croatians, Johnny Sulentic turned in a very impressive midfield performance, while forward Cristian Tropeano and midfielder Robin Hart also played very well. The tie does neither team a lot of good as they both needed all 3 points to remain in contention for a spot in next season’s BC Premier Soccer League.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: COLUMBUS FC for its impressive performance in defeating the highly regarded Metro-Ford Wolves by a decisive 2-0 margin. Led by the extraordinary midfield performances of Nathan Quan and Scott McEachearn, as well as some stubborn defending on the part of Tony Gaita, Jonathan Poli, Robbie Cairns, Kozo Manome, and young Joel Malouf, Columbus kept the Wolves off the scoresheet and fully deserved the entire 3 points. As a result of the all-important victory, the ‘Italians’ now find themselves in a 3-way tie for 4th place, only 3 points behind league-leading West Van FC.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ICSF Inter’s goalkeeper ERMAN OZKAN for his outstanding performance in his team’s 2-1 upset victory over the Surrey United Firefighters. On several occasions, Ozkan pulled off remarkable saves that kept his team in the running for all 3 points. In particular, just before the full time whistle, Ozkan literally robbed Angus Burke as he unleashed a wicked drive that seemed destined for the back of the net. For his excellent performance, ERMAN OZKAN will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-12-10.
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- Thread starter
- #26
WEEK #12—2009-11-30
Unbelievably, six teams are tied for first place in the Premier Division—with 20 points each—at the end of the 12th week of the schedule. That being said, two of the 6 teams have a game in hand, meaning that the 6-way tie could be a 5-way or 4-way tie for second place, depending on the outcome of the West Van FC vs. Surrey United make-up game. Also, 2 other teams—ICST Pegasus and Croatia SC—are not far behind and thus remain in contention for promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League. The second half of the season will therefore be very interesting!
CROATIA SC - WEST VAN FC 3-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the Croatians got back in the running for a spot in the BC Premier League by upsetting the defending champions by an emphatic 3-0 margin. The former Trollers got off to a bright start and nearly took the lead on a couple of occasions in the early going but former Whitecap Justin Thompson was unable to convert either opportunity. On the first chance, Thompson took advantage of a Croatian defensive blunder and, with goalkeeper Didar Sandhu clearly beaten, rocketed a close-range shot off the goalpost. Shortly thereafter, Thompson headed a fine Paul Dailly cross over the net, once again from close range. At this point the Croatians started taking over the reins of the match, mostly by outworking their opponents by displaying more energy, passion, and toughness. The Croatians came close to scoring midway through the first half, when Chris Craveiro sent Daniel Rogic flying down the right flank with a great through ball. Goalkeeper Marco Durante, however, was able thwart the opportunity with a remarkable save. Late in the first half, Croatia SC took the lead when Cristian Tropeano headed home a bizarre cross/shot by Chris Craveiro that was initially saved by Durante. The insertion of former professional Johnny Sulentic paid enormous dividends for the Croatians in the second half as he scored a brilliant goal at about the 75th minute mark as he displayed a marvellous combination of skill and tenacity. After beating a couple of West Van defenders, Sulentic raced in all alone, beat an onrushing Durante and, from nearly an impossible angle, slotted the ball to the far post for the insurance marker. A few minutes later, Marinko Maras duplicated Sulentic’s effort by stripping the ball from a West Van defender before racing in on goal on a breakaway. Once again Durante was left by himself and, once again, the ball was placed into the back of the net. Croatia had a couple of other chances to add to its elaborate scoreline, but Maras and Sulentic were unable to capitalize on them. Central defender Maarten Koorn was outstanding throughout the match, while goalkeeper Didar Sandhu fully earned his clean sheet. Croatia SC thus improves its record to 4-2-5, while West Van barely remains in first place with a 6-2-3 record.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - ICST PEGASUS 1-1: On Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park, the ‘Surrey derby’ took place and, once again, the two contenders had to settle for a disappointing tie. The Firemen got off to a great start and took the lead at the 10 minute mark when Stefan Leslie headed home a perfectly-flighted corner kick by Tyler Rosenlund. Pegasus responded well and enjoyed a lot of territorial advantage, mostly due to the outstanding play of fullback Andrew Reed as he continually joined in his team’s attacks down the right flank. The constant Pegasus pressure finally paid off at the 25th minute mark when Chetan Jhooty—on a long-range free kick—unleashed a vicious low shot that ended up in the corner of the net for the equalizer. Shortly thereafter, Pegasus could easily have taken the lead on a couple of occasions, but some poor finishing on the part of Ryan Powell, and a brilliant save by goalkeeper Paul Shepherd on a point-blank shot by Meysam Soltani kept the score even till the halftime whistle. In the second half, Surrey United bounced back and got back into the match. The Firefighters came close to taking the lead on several occasions, but Angus Burke, Jeff Buchanan, Rizal Ganief, and Joseph Martin watched agonizingly as their attempts at goal narrowly missed the target. It should also be noted that Chetan Jhooty, at the other end of the pitch, also came very close to scoring, but also barely missed the net. Surrey United thus regains a share of first place, while ICST Pegasus slips to 7th place, albeit only 3 points out of the lead.
ICSF INTER - WESTSIDE FC 3-1: Also on Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, ICSF Inter ended Westside’s 6-game unbeaten streak by defeating the home team by a 3-1 margin. The visitors got off to a great start and almost took the lead at the 5th minute mark when GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca almost scored his 11th goal of the season but was denied by a wonderful save on the part of Westside goalkeeper Rowan Anders. However, shortly thereafter, Inter’s Sheldon Maistry scored the opening goal as he blew by 2 defenders—after receiving a great through ball from Adam Wallace—and easily scored his third goal of the season. A few minutes later, Inter added insult to Westside’s injury when Joseph Marrello took advantage of a well-taken corner kick by Tino Cucca and blasted an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area. Midway through the first half, Inter almost added its third goal but Sheldon Maistry failed to capitalize on a great cross by Paul Bolina as his shot barely missed the net. In the second half, the Westsiders seemed to wake up as they began to battle in search of their first goal. However, as luck would have it, it was the ‘Italians’ that added their third goal of the game when Laurent Scaligine was tripped by Frank Glassen inside the Westside penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded. Tino Cucca stepped up to the plate and easily scored from the penalty mark, giving his team an insurmountable 3-goal lead. To their credit, the Westside lads continued to battle as they shifted to a more attacking formation. Late in the match, Westside FC was rewarded for its gritty efforts when Jay Kent-Hume headed home a great cross from Ian Sandilands. Defensively, Inter’s Mike Winter, Jessie Dhami, Matt Judd, and Bevan Footman played superlatively throughout the contest, while forward Jay Kent-Hume and midfielder Sunny Kaler turned in excellent performances in the Westside line-up. The victory elevates Inter to a first-place tie—with 5 other teams—while Westside remains near the bottom of the table with a 3-3-6 record.
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS - METRO-FORD WOLVES 1-1: The third Saturday game was played at Minoru Oval in Richmond and featured the underachieving Hibs and the aspiring Wolves. The home team got off to a flying start and kept the Wolves on their back heels right from the kick-off. In particular, midfielder Chase Wickham drove his opponents to distraction with his dazzling pace and phenomenal dribbling skills. The constant Richmond pressure paid dividends at the 20th minute mark when midfielder Reymold Stewart scored his first goal of the season in sensational fashion. The play started with defender Darren Suderman gaining possession of the ball with a fine tackle and then feeding it to a streaking Chase Wickham down the left flank. Wickham then proceeded to beat a couple of Metro-Ford defenders before setting up Reynold Stewart with a sublime through ball. Stewart made no mistake in finishing the play by calmly slotting the ball into the net, past an onrushing Metro-Ford goalkeeper, Misho Dobrozdravich. The goal seemed to be the wake-up call that the Wolves needed as they settled down and began to exert some pressure of their own. On a couple of occasions, the Richmond goalkeeper—Matt Clayton—had to come up with fantastic saves—on shots by Alfredo Valente and Jovan Blagojevic—to keep his team in the lead till the halftime whistle. The second half was more or less a repeat of the latter part of the first half as both teams battled tenaciously and created numerous goalscoring opportunities. Both goalkeepers—Richmond’s Matt Clayton and Coquitlam’s Misho Dobrozdravich—rose to the occasions and made a few outstanding saves. Midway through the second half, the Wolves were able to knot the score when Azad Palani latched onto a neat through ball from former Whitecap Alfredo Valente and cleverly tucked it inside the near post with a shot that seemed to handcuff the otherwise brilliant Matt Clayton. Very late in the match, the Wolves almost captured all 3 points but Valente’s wicked shot rang off the goalpost and out of danger. The Richmond backline—composed of Tim Sowerby, Mike Revelle, Stu Walters, and Darren Suderman—played extremely well throughout the contest, while Metro-Ford forward--youth call-up Carlo Basso—turned in yet another excellent performance in the senior ranks. The tie leaves the Wolves tied for first place with 20 points, while the Hibernians are still near the bottom of the table with a 2-5-5 record.
COLUMBUS FC - SAPPERTON ROVERS 3-0: On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, won its third match in a row—thus claiming a share of first place for the first time this season—by defeating the struggling Sapperton Rovers by an elaborate 3-0 margin. Columbus took the early lead at the 15th minute mark when Steve Frazao—after making a great run down the left flank—cut the ball back to Aaron Keay who then forced the Sapperton goalkeeper—Garth Lagasse—to make a fine save with a well-placed shot. Unfortunately for Lagasse—and the entire Sapperton team—an onrushing Tiarnan King was then able to head home the rebound for what proved to be the winning goal. Late in the first half—at about the 38th minute mark—Nathan Quan was brought down inside the Rovers’ penalty area by veteran Woody Bradford. Tiarnan King then proceeded to score his second goal of the match on a well-placed penalty kick by sending Lagasse the wrong way. Just before the halftime whistle, Columbus almost scored again but Garth Lagasse was able to thwart Steve DeBlasio’s breakaway attempt with a courageous save. On the rebound, Ben Hunt was unable to convert as he sent the ball just over the net. Early in the second half, Columbus once again came close to putting the game out of the Rovers’ reach, but King missed a golden opportunity as he raced in all alone, but rolled his shot just wide of the net, with Lagasse well beaten. Not to be denied his hat-trick, the veteran King made amends for his previous faux-pas—very late in the match—by converting a fine pass from Aaron Keay after the latter had taken advantage of a Sapperton giveaway. Overall, Columbus appeared to be very well organized defensively and, although the Rovers had spells of possession, they seldom caused any major problems as Thomas Lindley recorded his 7th clean sheet of the season. Scott McEachern, Robbie Cairns, and Nathan Quan continued to impress in the Columbus lineup with their indomitable work rate and defensive responsibility. The Rovers’ midfield trio—composed of Sidd Achuthan, Colin Phillips, and Reyhan Ismail—also turned in impressive performances, albeit in a losing effort. As a result, the Rovers’ remained mired in a last place tie with Norvan Pacific, while Columbus FC now seems destined for a spot in the BC Premier Soccer League, with a 6-2-4 record.
DELTA UNITED - NORVAN PACIFC 4-0: Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, Delta United also climbed into a first place spot for the first time this season by easily defeating the visiting, and struggling, Norvan Pacific by a resounding 4-0 margin. Delta took the lead at the 15th minute mark as a well-taken free kick by Mark Gomes found a wide-open John Blair who then proceeded to one-time the ball into the back of the net. The young Norvan boys fought back with grit and determination and, although they didn’t create any really good goalscoring chances, they managed to keep the vaunted Delta attackers off the scoresheet for the remainder of the first half. The former Eagles continued to work hard at the beginning of the second half and came very close to tying things up but a brilliant cross by second-half substitute Jamie Casey eluded his onrushing teammates and was cleared out of danger. Shortly thereafter, Delta doubled its lead, once again on a set-up by veteran Mark Gomes. This time, Gomes’ corner kick was headed home by Brian Gebbie, much to the chagrin of the Norvan team that claimed that goalkeeper Steve London had been fouled. Midway through the second half, two veterans combined for Delta’s third goal as Brian Gibson’s throw-in was cleverly flicked towards the Norvan goal by playing-coach Steve Millar. Perhaps aided and abetted by a gust of wind, the header sailed into the top corner of the net, past a bewildered Steve London. Just before the final whistle, Delta’s CJ Greenside added his team’s fourth goal as he calmly slotted the ball into the net after having received a brilliant pass from Mike Gomes. Norvan’s Sandy Sull, Kyle Guay, and Nathan Hart worked tirelessly throughout the contest, while Delta’s striker Ryan Hopp drove the young Norvan defenders to distraction with his skill, speed, and indomitable work rate. As mentioned earlier, Delta United is now tied with 5 other teams for first place in the Premier Division standings, while Norvan Pacific remains in a last place tie with the Sapperton Rovers.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: CROATIA SC for its incredible 3-0 upset victory over the defending triple-crown champions, West Van FC. e 2-0 margin. Led by the extraordinary defensive performance of Maarten Koorn, as well as the inimitable skills of second-half substitute Johnny Sulentic, the Croatians fully deserved the victory as they outworked their opponents for the better part of the match. The victory keeps the Croatian’s hopes of qualifying for a spot in the BC Premier League alive as they are now only 6 points out of first place, with a game in hand.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Columbus FC’s veteran forward TIARNAN KING for his 3-goal effort in his team’s emphatic 3-0 victory over the Sapperton Rovers. In fact, had it not been for some bad luck, King could easily have scored 5 goals! As a result of his hat-trick, King climbs to second place in the race for the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD, with 8 goals to his credit. For his brilliant performance, TIARNAN KING will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-12-17.
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Unbelievably, six teams are tied for first place in the Premier Division—with 20 points each—at the end of the 12th week of the schedule. That being said, two of the 6 teams have a game in hand, meaning that the 6-way tie could be a 5-way or 4-way tie for second place, depending on the outcome of the West Van FC vs. Surrey United make-up game. Also, 2 other teams—ICST Pegasus and Croatia SC—are not far behind and thus remain in contention for promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League. The second half of the season will therefore be very interesting!
CROATIA SC - WEST VAN FC 3-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the Croatians got back in the running for a spot in the BC Premier League by upsetting the defending champions by an emphatic 3-0 margin. The former Trollers got off to a bright start and nearly took the lead on a couple of occasions in the early going but former Whitecap Justin Thompson was unable to convert either opportunity. On the first chance, Thompson took advantage of a Croatian defensive blunder and, with goalkeeper Didar Sandhu clearly beaten, rocketed a close-range shot off the goalpost. Shortly thereafter, Thompson headed a fine Paul Dailly cross over the net, once again from close range. At this point the Croatians started taking over the reins of the match, mostly by outworking their opponents by displaying more energy, passion, and toughness. The Croatians came close to scoring midway through the first half, when Chris Craveiro sent Daniel Rogic flying down the right flank with a great through ball. Goalkeeper Marco Durante, however, was able thwart the opportunity with a remarkable save. Late in the first half, Croatia SC took the lead when Cristian Tropeano headed home a bizarre cross/shot by Chris Craveiro that was initially saved by Durante. The insertion of former professional Johnny Sulentic paid enormous dividends for the Croatians in the second half as he scored a brilliant goal at about the 75th minute mark as he displayed a marvellous combination of skill and tenacity. After beating a couple of West Van defenders, Sulentic raced in all alone, beat an onrushing Durante and, from nearly an impossible angle, slotted the ball to the far post for the insurance marker. A few minutes later, Marinko Maras duplicated Sulentic’s effort by stripping the ball from a West Van defender before racing in on goal on a breakaway. Once again Durante was left by himself and, once again, the ball was placed into the back of the net. Croatia had a couple of other chances to add to its elaborate scoreline, but Maras and Sulentic were unable to capitalize on them. Central defender Maarten Koorn was outstanding throughout the match, while goalkeeper Didar Sandhu fully earned his clean sheet. Croatia SC thus improves its record to 4-2-5, while West Van barely remains in first place with a 6-2-3 record.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - ICST PEGASUS 1-1: On Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park, the ‘Surrey derby’ took place and, once again, the two contenders had to settle for a disappointing tie. The Firemen got off to a great start and took the lead at the 10 minute mark when Stefan Leslie headed home a perfectly-flighted corner kick by Tyler Rosenlund. Pegasus responded well and enjoyed a lot of territorial advantage, mostly due to the outstanding play of fullback Andrew Reed as he continually joined in his team’s attacks down the right flank. The constant Pegasus pressure finally paid off at the 25th minute mark when Chetan Jhooty—on a long-range free kick—unleashed a vicious low shot that ended up in the corner of the net for the equalizer. Shortly thereafter, Pegasus could easily have taken the lead on a couple of occasions, but some poor finishing on the part of Ryan Powell, and a brilliant save by goalkeeper Paul Shepherd on a point-blank shot by Meysam Soltani kept the score even till the halftime whistle. In the second half, Surrey United bounced back and got back into the match. The Firefighters came close to taking the lead on several occasions, but Angus Burke, Jeff Buchanan, Rizal Ganief, and Joseph Martin watched agonizingly as their attempts at goal narrowly missed the target. It should also be noted that Chetan Jhooty, at the other end of the pitch, also came very close to scoring, but also barely missed the net. Surrey United thus regains a share of first place, while ICST Pegasus slips to 7th place, albeit only 3 points out of the lead.
ICSF INTER - WESTSIDE FC 3-1: Also on Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, ICSF Inter ended Westside’s 6-game unbeaten streak by defeating the home team by a 3-1 margin. The visitors got off to a great start and almost took the lead at the 5th minute mark when GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca almost scored his 11th goal of the season but was denied by a wonderful save on the part of Westside goalkeeper Rowan Anders. However, shortly thereafter, Inter’s Sheldon Maistry scored the opening goal as he blew by 2 defenders—after receiving a great through ball from Adam Wallace—and easily scored his third goal of the season. A few minutes later, Inter added insult to Westside’s injury when Joseph Marrello took advantage of a well-taken corner kick by Tino Cucca and blasted an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area. Midway through the first half, Inter almost added its third goal but Sheldon Maistry failed to capitalize on a great cross by Paul Bolina as his shot barely missed the net. In the second half, the Westsiders seemed to wake up as they began to battle in search of their first goal. However, as luck would have it, it was the ‘Italians’ that added their third goal of the game when Laurent Scaligine was tripped by Frank Glassen inside the Westside penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded. Tino Cucca stepped up to the plate and easily scored from the penalty mark, giving his team an insurmountable 3-goal lead. To their credit, the Westside lads continued to battle as they shifted to a more attacking formation. Late in the match, Westside FC was rewarded for its gritty efforts when Jay Kent-Hume headed home a great cross from Ian Sandilands. Defensively, Inter’s Mike Winter, Jessie Dhami, Matt Judd, and Bevan Footman played superlatively throughout the contest, while forward Jay Kent-Hume and midfielder Sunny Kaler turned in excellent performances in the Westside line-up. The victory elevates Inter to a first-place tie—with 5 other teams—while Westside remains near the bottom of the table with a 3-3-6 record.
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS - METRO-FORD WOLVES 1-1: The third Saturday game was played at Minoru Oval in Richmond and featured the underachieving Hibs and the aspiring Wolves. The home team got off to a flying start and kept the Wolves on their back heels right from the kick-off. In particular, midfielder Chase Wickham drove his opponents to distraction with his dazzling pace and phenomenal dribbling skills. The constant Richmond pressure paid dividends at the 20th minute mark when midfielder Reymold Stewart scored his first goal of the season in sensational fashion. The play started with defender Darren Suderman gaining possession of the ball with a fine tackle and then feeding it to a streaking Chase Wickham down the left flank. Wickham then proceeded to beat a couple of Metro-Ford defenders before setting up Reynold Stewart with a sublime through ball. Stewart made no mistake in finishing the play by calmly slotting the ball into the net, past an onrushing Metro-Ford goalkeeper, Misho Dobrozdravich. The goal seemed to be the wake-up call that the Wolves needed as they settled down and began to exert some pressure of their own. On a couple of occasions, the Richmond goalkeeper—Matt Clayton—had to come up with fantastic saves—on shots by Alfredo Valente and Jovan Blagojevic—to keep his team in the lead till the halftime whistle. The second half was more or less a repeat of the latter part of the first half as both teams battled tenaciously and created numerous goalscoring opportunities. Both goalkeepers—Richmond’s Matt Clayton and Coquitlam’s Misho Dobrozdravich—rose to the occasions and made a few outstanding saves. Midway through the second half, the Wolves were able to knot the score when Azad Palani latched onto a neat through ball from former Whitecap Alfredo Valente and cleverly tucked it inside the near post with a shot that seemed to handcuff the otherwise brilliant Matt Clayton. Very late in the match, the Wolves almost captured all 3 points but Valente’s wicked shot rang off the goalpost and out of danger. The Richmond backline—composed of Tim Sowerby, Mike Revelle, Stu Walters, and Darren Suderman—played extremely well throughout the contest, while Metro-Ford forward--youth call-up Carlo Basso—turned in yet another excellent performance in the senior ranks. The tie leaves the Wolves tied for first place with 20 points, while the Hibernians are still near the bottom of the table with a 2-5-5 record.
COLUMBUS FC - SAPPERTON ROVERS 3-0: On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, won its third match in a row—thus claiming a share of first place for the first time this season—by defeating the struggling Sapperton Rovers by an elaborate 3-0 margin. Columbus took the early lead at the 15th minute mark when Steve Frazao—after making a great run down the left flank—cut the ball back to Aaron Keay who then forced the Sapperton goalkeeper—Garth Lagasse—to make a fine save with a well-placed shot. Unfortunately for Lagasse—and the entire Sapperton team—an onrushing Tiarnan King was then able to head home the rebound for what proved to be the winning goal. Late in the first half—at about the 38th minute mark—Nathan Quan was brought down inside the Rovers’ penalty area by veteran Woody Bradford. Tiarnan King then proceeded to score his second goal of the match on a well-placed penalty kick by sending Lagasse the wrong way. Just before the halftime whistle, Columbus almost scored again but Garth Lagasse was able to thwart Steve DeBlasio’s breakaway attempt with a courageous save. On the rebound, Ben Hunt was unable to convert as he sent the ball just over the net. Early in the second half, Columbus once again came close to putting the game out of the Rovers’ reach, but King missed a golden opportunity as he raced in all alone, but rolled his shot just wide of the net, with Lagasse well beaten. Not to be denied his hat-trick, the veteran King made amends for his previous faux-pas—very late in the match—by converting a fine pass from Aaron Keay after the latter had taken advantage of a Sapperton giveaway. Overall, Columbus appeared to be very well organized defensively and, although the Rovers had spells of possession, they seldom caused any major problems as Thomas Lindley recorded his 7th clean sheet of the season. Scott McEachern, Robbie Cairns, and Nathan Quan continued to impress in the Columbus lineup with their indomitable work rate and defensive responsibility. The Rovers’ midfield trio—composed of Sidd Achuthan, Colin Phillips, and Reyhan Ismail—also turned in impressive performances, albeit in a losing effort. As a result, the Rovers’ remained mired in a last place tie with Norvan Pacific, while Columbus FC now seems destined for a spot in the BC Premier Soccer League, with a 6-2-4 record.
DELTA UNITED - NORVAN PACIFC 4-0: Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, Delta United also climbed into a first place spot for the first time this season by easily defeating the visiting, and struggling, Norvan Pacific by a resounding 4-0 margin. Delta took the lead at the 15th minute mark as a well-taken free kick by Mark Gomes found a wide-open John Blair who then proceeded to one-time the ball into the back of the net. The young Norvan boys fought back with grit and determination and, although they didn’t create any really good goalscoring chances, they managed to keep the vaunted Delta attackers off the scoresheet for the remainder of the first half. The former Eagles continued to work hard at the beginning of the second half and came very close to tying things up but a brilliant cross by second-half substitute Jamie Casey eluded his onrushing teammates and was cleared out of danger. Shortly thereafter, Delta doubled its lead, once again on a set-up by veteran Mark Gomes. This time, Gomes’ corner kick was headed home by Brian Gebbie, much to the chagrin of the Norvan team that claimed that goalkeeper Steve London had been fouled. Midway through the second half, two veterans combined for Delta’s third goal as Brian Gibson’s throw-in was cleverly flicked towards the Norvan goal by playing-coach Steve Millar. Perhaps aided and abetted by a gust of wind, the header sailed into the top corner of the net, past a bewildered Steve London. Just before the final whistle, Delta’s CJ Greenside added his team’s fourth goal as he calmly slotted the ball into the net after having received a brilliant pass from Mike Gomes. Norvan’s Sandy Sull, Kyle Guay, and Nathan Hart worked tirelessly throughout the contest, while Delta’s striker Ryan Hopp drove the young Norvan defenders to distraction with his skill, speed, and indomitable work rate. As mentioned earlier, Delta United is now tied with 5 other teams for first place in the Premier Division standings, while Norvan Pacific remains in a last place tie with the Sapperton Rovers.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: CROATIA SC for its incredible 3-0 upset victory over the defending triple-crown champions, West Van FC. e 2-0 margin. Led by the extraordinary defensive performance of Maarten Koorn, as well as the inimitable skills of second-half substitute Johnny Sulentic, the Croatians fully deserved the victory as they outworked their opponents for the better part of the match. The victory keeps the Croatian’s hopes of qualifying for a spot in the BC Premier League alive as they are now only 6 points out of first place, with a game in hand.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Columbus FC’s veteran forward TIARNAN KING for his 3-goal effort in his team’s emphatic 3-0 victory over the Sapperton Rovers. In fact, had it not been for some bad luck, King could easily have scored 5 goals! As a result of his hat-trick, King climbs to second place in the race for the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD, with 8 goals to his credit. For his brilliant performance, TIARNAN KING will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-12-17.
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- Thread starter
- #27
WEEK #13—2009-11-09
West Van FC climbed back into sole possession of first place as a result of a narrow—and hard-fought—2-1 victory over last place Norvan Pacific in a well-attended ‘North Shore Derby’. In the meantime, the race for the top 4 spots remained very intense as only one of the other contenders—Columbus FC—was able to secure a victory. Two games—Sapperton vs Metro-Ford and Delta vs Richmond—were postponed due to the fact that the fields were deemed to be unplayable. The Delta United vs Richmond FC Hibernians match was played on Tuesday evening and resulted in a 3-1 upset victory for the visitors.
ICST PEGASUS* -* WESTSIDE FC **1-1:* On Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, the aspiring ICST Pegasus was held to a 1-1 draw by the visiting Westsiders. In fact, only a late goal by Meysam Soltani managed to secure the single point for Pegasus as Westside FC* appeared to have a stronghold on the victory. The visitors controlled most of the play in the first half, but were unable to create any clear scoring chances. However, it was Pegasus that almost scored the first goal when a thunderous full-time volley on the part of Paul Bahia narrowly missed the target. The game opened up in the second half, as both teams tried desperately to find the elusive opening goal. In particular, Chetan Jhooty had an excellent opportunity to give Pegasus the lead but, after beating a couple of Westside defenders, he lost his footing on the very slick turf. Soon thereafter—at about the 75th minute mark—Westside FC took the lead when a cross from Sunny Kaler was converted into the opening goal by Steve Johnson as he half-volleyed the ball into the back of the net, past goalkeeper Amar Dhinsa. Late in the game, Pegasus knotted the score when Niko Marcina’s close-range shot was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Rowan Anders, only to have an onrushing Meysam Soltani slot home the rebound. Jag Sajan was once again a tower of strength on the Pegasus backline, while midfielder Paul Bahia turned in another admirable, workmanlike, performance. For Westside, Steve Johnson and Indy Khabra played extremely well in the middle of the park, while defenders Sam Wallace, Graeme Webber, James Possee, and Chris Mehuys were rock-solid throughout the contest. The single point is more disappointing for Pegasus, since the Surrey-based team is trying desperately to finish the season in the top four spots, thus securing a place in the BC Premier Soccer League.
COLUMBUS FC* -* ICSF INTER* 2-0:* *Also on Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, the ‘Italian Derby’ took place in front of a disappointing sparse crowd. *At the end of the 90 minutes of play, the Columbus lads walked away with a well-earned 2-0 victory, a result that places them in a first place tie with West Van FC. It should be mentioned that West Van has a game in hand! Columbus got off to a flying start and almost scored at the 5th minute mark when a well-executed 3-way passing play—involving Tiarnan King, Steve DeBlasio, and Steve Frazao—sent DeBlasio in on goal on a partial breakaway. Unfortunately for Columbus, DeBlasio’s shot rocketed off the crossbar and out of danger. However, 10 minutes later, Columbus managed to take the lead when veteran Tiarnan King unleashed a wicked shot from the left side of the Inter box, a shot that bounced off the inside of the goalpost and onto the path of a perfectly-positioned Aaron Keay who proceeded to slot home the rebound for what proved to be the winning goal. Inter responded well and came close to tying things up when Tino Cucca found a wide-open Mike Winter at the edge of the penalty box. Unfortunately for Winter—and the entire ICSF clan—his shot went wide of the net. In the second half, Inter tried hard to obtain the equalizer but some solid defending on the part of Robbie Cairns, Tony Gaita, Jonathan Poli, and Blair Robertson limited Inter’s chances and made life relatively easy for goalkeeper Thomas Lindley as he earned his 8th shutout of the season. Columbus added the all-important second goal at the 75th minute mark as Nathan Quan sent Steve Frazao on a breakaway down the left flank with a brilliantly-executed diagonal pass. Frazao then showed great poise and technique as he placed a wicked volley past goalkeeper Erman Ozkan and into the back of the net for the insurance marker. Despite the loss, Inter’s Jessie Dhami played extremely well in his defensive role. As mentioned earlier, Columbus FC is now tied with West Van FC for first place, with the former Trollers having a game in hand.
CROATIA SC *-* SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS* 1-1: *The third Friday evening match was played at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver and featured two of the strongest teams in the VMSL Premier Division. In the end both aspiring teams had to settle for a 1-1 tie, a disappointing result for both of them. The Croatians got off to a bright start and almost took the lead in the first minute of play when a shot by Chris Craveiro—after a clever one-two with Cristian Tropeano—was brilliantly saved by Surrey’s netminder, Drew Smiley. The Firefighters responded well and they almost grabbed the lead themselves when—at the 15th minute mark—Rizal Ganief outraced the entire Croatia backline before cheekily chipping the ball over the head of goalkeeper Didhar Sandhu. However, an unbelievable over-the-head clearance by Croatia’s Ryan Zaharija kept the ball out of the net and the game scoreless till the halftime whistle. Surrey United finally broke the deadlock early in the second half when veteran Jeff Skinner and young Angus Burke combined to score a very impressive goal. In fact, Skinner’s excellent cross found an unmarked Burke behind the Croatian defence and the youngster proceeded to steer an unstoppable shot past Sandhu and into the net. The Croatians battled back strongly and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, but Johnny Sulentic’s brilliant free kicks were saved by Drew Smiley. At the 75th minute mark, however, yet another Sulentic free kick was headed into the back of the net by forward Cristian Tropeano for the well-earned equalizer. The Firemen once again rallied and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions on chances by Lucas Barrett and Cam Wilson. At the other end of the pitch, Philip Kotter also had a great opportunity to score the winner for Croatia but his shot from inside the box narrowly missed the Surrey United net. All in all, an excellent game played between two excellent teams! The result drops the Firefighters to third place in the standings, while Croatia SC remains in the running for the coveted promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League.
WEST VAN FC* -* NORVAN PACIFIC* 2-1:* *On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, a fairly large crowd watched the top team in the VMSL’s Premier Division—West Van FC—struggle to defeat the last place Pacific by a 2-1 margin in the ‘North Shore Derby’. Both teams needed all 3 points, albeit for completely different reasons! The former Trollers came out of the starting blocks with a vengeance and took the early lead at the 7th minute mark when Kyle McDiarmid—off a Corey Birza flick-on—calmly finished off the play by depositing the ball into the back of the net. Twenty minutes later, Norvan’s Scott Howey found himself unmarked inside the goal area and easily headed home the equalizer on a well-taken free kick by Tony Seddon. Late in the first half, West Van scored the winner as an innocuous cross by Omari Aldridge was handled inside the 18-yard area by Norvan defender Scott Howey. On the ensuing penalty kick, veteran Paul Dailly banged home the winning goal in his own patented fashion. The young Norvan squad battled hard throughout the second half in search of the equalizer but, at the end, walked away pointless. Despite the loss, the Norvan lads played their best game of the season with defenders Scott Howey, Brent Dodge and Tony Seddon leading the way with outstanding performances. Forwards Sandeep Sull, Jamie Casey, and Blake Burgon also deserve special mention for the fine efforts, albeit in a losing cause. As mentioned earlier, West Van FC is now tied with Columbus FC at the top of the table, albeit with a game in hand, while Norvan Pacific is mired in a last-place tie with the Sapperton Rovers.
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS* -* DELTA UNITED* 3-1:* On Tuesday evening, at Holly Park in Delta, the visiting Hibs upset the heavily-favoured Delta squad by a 3-1 margin. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday at John Oliver Park but was postponed due to the field’s unplayable conditions. The visitors got off to a good start and controlled most of the early action. However, as often happens, it was the home team that took the lead midway through the first half against the run of play. Midfielder Ryan Dormer took advantage of a huge scramble at the top of the 18-yard box and proceeded to lift the ball over an onrushing Matt Clayton, the Richmond goalkeeper. Delta United took advantage of the situation and created a couple of other glorious goalscoring chances—on shots by playing-coach Steve Millar and newly-signed Shawn Blakeway—but Matt Clayton came up with some brilliant saves to keep the score at 1-0 till the 40th minute mark. At this point, the Hibernians were able to level the score on a brilliant passing play that involved defender Mike Revelle, midfielder Reynold Stewart, and forward Erik Olsen. It was Olsen’s final pass that found a streaking Alan Chivers who managed to control the ball, beat a defender, and deposit it into the back of the net for the equalizer. Very late in the first half, Richmond FC took the lead with Olsen once again in the limelight as his wicked shot was brilliantly saved by Delta’s goalkeeper Brian Brum, only to have midfielder Reynold Stewart pick up the rebound and slot the ball home from a very sharp and difficult angle. The Hibs added their insurance marker early in the second half when midfielder Peter Chivers received a great ball from teammate Chase Wickham, cut inside and unleashed a low, hard drive from well outside the penalty area and into the net. Delta United never quit trying and exerted a great deal of pressure on the Richmond defence for the remainder of the match, but some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Matt Clayton, as well as some remarkable defending by Mike Revelle and Stu Walters kept the vaunted Delta forwards off the scoresheet. Harp Khakh and David Hileman played quite well on the forward line for Delta United, while midfielder CJ Greenside and defender Steve Millar also turned in excellent performances, albeit in a losing cause. The loss drops Delta United to 5th place in the standings, while the victory elevates the Hibernians to 9th place, only a point behind Croatia SC.
TEAM OF THE WEEK:* RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS for their upset victory over the red-hot Delta United. Led by the superlative play of goalkeeper Matt Clayton, as well as some staunch defending on the part of Mike Revelle and Stu Walters, the Hibs were able thwart numerous Delta attacks and eventually walk away with a hard-fought 3-1 victory. It should also be mentioned that forward Erik Olsen was a going concern throughout the contest and played a major part in two of the Hibernians’ goals.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: *Richmond FC’s goalkeeper MATT CLAYTON for his amazing performance in leading his team to an upset 3-1 victory over the heavily-favoured Delta United. Clayton pulled off some miraculous saves throughout the match, particularly on shots by Shawn Blakeway and Steve Millar, to keep his team in the lead. **For his brilliant performance, MATT CLAYTON will *receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of *THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-01-07.
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West Van FC climbed back into sole possession of first place as a result of a narrow—and hard-fought—2-1 victory over last place Norvan Pacific in a well-attended ‘North Shore Derby’. In the meantime, the race for the top 4 spots remained very intense as only one of the other contenders—Columbus FC—was able to secure a victory. Two games—Sapperton vs Metro-Ford and Delta vs Richmond—were postponed due to the fact that the fields were deemed to be unplayable. The Delta United vs Richmond FC Hibernians match was played on Tuesday evening and resulted in a 3-1 upset victory for the visitors.
ICST PEGASUS* -* WESTSIDE FC **1-1:* On Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, the aspiring ICST Pegasus was held to a 1-1 draw by the visiting Westsiders. In fact, only a late goal by Meysam Soltani managed to secure the single point for Pegasus as Westside FC* appeared to have a stronghold on the victory. The visitors controlled most of the play in the first half, but were unable to create any clear scoring chances. However, it was Pegasus that almost scored the first goal when a thunderous full-time volley on the part of Paul Bahia narrowly missed the target. The game opened up in the second half, as both teams tried desperately to find the elusive opening goal. In particular, Chetan Jhooty had an excellent opportunity to give Pegasus the lead but, after beating a couple of Westside defenders, he lost his footing on the very slick turf. Soon thereafter—at about the 75th minute mark—Westside FC took the lead when a cross from Sunny Kaler was converted into the opening goal by Steve Johnson as he half-volleyed the ball into the back of the net, past goalkeeper Amar Dhinsa. Late in the game, Pegasus knotted the score when Niko Marcina’s close-range shot was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Rowan Anders, only to have an onrushing Meysam Soltani slot home the rebound. Jag Sajan was once again a tower of strength on the Pegasus backline, while midfielder Paul Bahia turned in another admirable, workmanlike, performance. For Westside, Steve Johnson and Indy Khabra played extremely well in the middle of the park, while defenders Sam Wallace, Graeme Webber, James Possee, and Chris Mehuys were rock-solid throughout the contest. The single point is more disappointing for Pegasus, since the Surrey-based team is trying desperately to finish the season in the top four spots, thus securing a place in the BC Premier Soccer League.
COLUMBUS FC* -* ICSF INTER* 2-0:* *Also on Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, the ‘Italian Derby’ took place in front of a disappointing sparse crowd. *At the end of the 90 minutes of play, the Columbus lads walked away with a well-earned 2-0 victory, a result that places them in a first place tie with West Van FC. It should be mentioned that West Van has a game in hand! Columbus got off to a flying start and almost scored at the 5th minute mark when a well-executed 3-way passing play—involving Tiarnan King, Steve DeBlasio, and Steve Frazao—sent DeBlasio in on goal on a partial breakaway. Unfortunately for Columbus, DeBlasio’s shot rocketed off the crossbar and out of danger. However, 10 minutes later, Columbus managed to take the lead when veteran Tiarnan King unleashed a wicked shot from the left side of the Inter box, a shot that bounced off the inside of the goalpost and onto the path of a perfectly-positioned Aaron Keay who proceeded to slot home the rebound for what proved to be the winning goal. Inter responded well and came close to tying things up when Tino Cucca found a wide-open Mike Winter at the edge of the penalty box. Unfortunately for Winter—and the entire ICSF clan—his shot went wide of the net. In the second half, Inter tried hard to obtain the equalizer but some solid defending on the part of Robbie Cairns, Tony Gaita, Jonathan Poli, and Blair Robertson limited Inter’s chances and made life relatively easy for goalkeeper Thomas Lindley as he earned his 8th shutout of the season. Columbus added the all-important second goal at the 75th minute mark as Nathan Quan sent Steve Frazao on a breakaway down the left flank with a brilliantly-executed diagonal pass. Frazao then showed great poise and technique as he placed a wicked volley past goalkeeper Erman Ozkan and into the back of the net for the insurance marker. Despite the loss, Inter’s Jessie Dhami played extremely well in his defensive role. As mentioned earlier, Columbus FC is now tied with West Van FC for first place, with the former Trollers having a game in hand.
CROATIA SC *-* SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS* 1-1: *The third Friday evening match was played at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver and featured two of the strongest teams in the VMSL Premier Division. In the end both aspiring teams had to settle for a 1-1 tie, a disappointing result for both of them. The Croatians got off to a bright start and almost took the lead in the first minute of play when a shot by Chris Craveiro—after a clever one-two with Cristian Tropeano—was brilliantly saved by Surrey’s netminder, Drew Smiley. The Firefighters responded well and they almost grabbed the lead themselves when—at the 15th minute mark—Rizal Ganief outraced the entire Croatia backline before cheekily chipping the ball over the head of goalkeeper Didhar Sandhu. However, an unbelievable over-the-head clearance by Croatia’s Ryan Zaharija kept the ball out of the net and the game scoreless till the halftime whistle. Surrey United finally broke the deadlock early in the second half when veteran Jeff Skinner and young Angus Burke combined to score a very impressive goal. In fact, Skinner’s excellent cross found an unmarked Burke behind the Croatian defence and the youngster proceeded to steer an unstoppable shot past Sandhu and into the net. The Croatians battled back strongly and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, but Johnny Sulentic’s brilliant free kicks were saved by Drew Smiley. At the 75th minute mark, however, yet another Sulentic free kick was headed into the back of the net by forward Cristian Tropeano for the well-earned equalizer. The Firemen once again rallied and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions on chances by Lucas Barrett and Cam Wilson. At the other end of the pitch, Philip Kotter also had a great opportunity to score the winner for Croatia but his shot from inside the box narrowly missed the Surrey United net. All in all, an excellent game played between two excellent teams! The result drops the Firefighters to third place in the standings, while Croatia SC remains in the running for the coveted promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League.
WEST VAN FC* -* NORVAN PACIFIC* 2-1:* *On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, a fairly large crowd watched the top team in the VMSL’s Premier Division—West Van FC—struggle to defeat the last place Pacific by a 2-1 margin in the ‘North Shore Derby’. Both teams needed all 3 points, albeit for completely different reasons! The former Trollers came out of the starting blocks with a vengeance and took the early lead at the 7th minute mark when Kyle McDiarmid—off a Corey Birza flick-on—calmly finished off the play by depositing the ball into the back of the net. Twenty minutes later, Norvan’s Scott Howey found himself unmarked inside the goal area and easily headed home the equalizer on a well-taken free kick by Tony Seddon. Late in the first half, West Van scored the winner as an innocuous cross by Omari Aldridge was handled inside the 18-yard area by Norvan defender Scott Howey. On the ensuing penalty kick, veteran Paul Dailly banged home the winning goal in his own patented fashion. The young Norvan squad battled hard throughout the second half in search of the equalizer but, at the end, walked away pointless. Despite the loss, the Norvan lads played their best game of the season with defenders Scott Howey, Brent Dodge and Tony Seddon leading the way with outstanding performances. Forwards Sandeep Sull, Jamie Casey, and Blake Burgon also deserve special mention for the fine efforts, albeit in a losing cause. As mentioned earlier, West Van FC is now tied with Columbus FC at the top of the table, albeit with a game in hand, while Norvan Pacific is mired in a last-place tie with the Sapperton Rovers.
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS* -* DELTA UNITED* 3-1:* On Tuesday evening, at Holly Park in Delta, the visiting Hibs upset the heavily-favoured Delta squad by a 3-1 margin. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday at John Oliver Park but was postponed due to the field’s unplayable conditions. The visitors got off to a good start and controlled most of the early action. However, as often happens, it was the home team that took the lead midway through the first half against the run of play. Midfielder Ryan Dormer took advantage of a huge scramble at the top of the 18-yard box and proceeded to lift the ball over an onrushing Matt Clayton, the Richmond goalkeeper. Delta United took advantage of the situation and created a couple of other glorious goalscoring chances—on shots by playing-coach Steve Millar and newly-signed Shawn Blakeway—but Matt Clayton came up with some brilliant saves to keep the score at 1-0 till the 40th minute mark. At this point, the Hibernians were able to level the score on a brilliant passing play that involved defender Mike Revelle, midfielder Reynold Stewart, and forward Erik Olsen. It was Olsen’s final pass that found a streaking Alan Chivers who managed to control the ball, beat a defender, and deposit it into the back of the net for the equalizer. Very late in the first half, Richmond FC took the lead with Olsen once again in the limelight as his wicked shot was brilliantly saved by Delta’s goalkeeper Brian Brum, only to have midfielder Reynold Stewart pick up the rebound and slot the ball home from a very sharp and difficult angle. The Hibs added their insurance marker early in the second half when midfielder Peter Chivers received a great ball from teammate Chase Wickham, cut inside and unleashed a low, hard drive from well outside the penalty area and into the net. Delta United never quit trying and exerted a great deal of pressure on the Richmond defence for the remainder of the match, but some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Matt Clayton, as well as some remarkable defending by Mike Revelle and Stu Walters kept the vaunted Delta forwards off the scoresheet. Harp Khakh and David Hileman played quite well on the forward line for Delta United, while midfielder CJ Greenside and defender Steve Millar also turned in excellent performances, albeit in a losing cause. The loss drops Delta United to 5th place in the standings, while the victory elevates the Hibernians to 9th place, only a point behind Croatia SC.
TEAM OF THE WEEK:* RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS for their upset victory over the red-hot Delta United. Led by the superlative play of goalkeeper Matt Clayton, as well as some staunch defending on the part of Mike Revelle and Stu Walters, the Hibs were able thwart numerous Delta attacks and eventually walk away with a hard-fought 3-1 victory. It should also be mentioned that forward Erik Olsen was a going concern throughout the contest and played a major part in two of the Hibernians’ goals.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: *Richmond FC’s goalkeeper MATT CLAYTON for his amazing performance in leading his team to an upset 3-1 victory over the heavily-favoured Delta United. Clayton pulled off some miraculous saves throughout the match, particularly on shots by Shawn Blakeway and Steve Millar, to keep his team in the lead. **For his brilliant performance, MATT CLAYTON will *receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of *THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-01-07.
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Captain Shamrock
Well-Known Member
Well done to all involved in the big win. 
- Thread starter
- #30
WEEK #14—2009-12-14
West Van FC remained in sole possession of first place as a result of an emphatic 6-1 victory over the visiting Delta United—the most one-sided result in this season’s Premier Division. One crucial match—between Columbus FC and ICST Pegasus—was postponed due to the unplayable field conditions at Vancouver Technical School. All the other matches ended with rather predictable results as the league table remained more or less the same. Hopefully, if the weather cooperates, 3 make-up games will be played this coming Friday. Needless to say, all 3 games are very important!
WEST VAN FC - DELTA UNITED 6-1: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the defending triple-crown champions literally destroyed the visiting Delta lads by a rather embarrassing 6-1 margin. West Van FC got off to a great start by scoring twice in the first 20 minutes of play. On the first goal, Justin Thompson—after a nifty give-and-go with Omari Aldridge—set up a streaking Tim Perry with an impeccable cross. Perry proceeded to volley the ball into the back of the net with an unstoppable, low drive. A few minutes later, former Whitecap Thompson became the finisher as he found the back of the net on a pass from young Robbie Giezen. It should be mentioned that Giezen had initially received the ball from Ryan Glanville after he had made a brilliant run down the left flank. With about 5 minutes to go in the first half, West Van tripled its lead with Thompson once again becoming the provider as he took advantage of a Delta defensive blunder before slipping the ball to a darting Ryan Glanville who proceeded to outmuscle a Delta defender before depositing the ball past goalkeeper Brian Brum. Just before the halftime whistle, Delta almost got on the scoreboard, but a brilliant save by goalkeeper Marco Durante—on a Shawn Blakeway breakaway—kept the score at 3-0 till the halftime break. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first, as West Van continued to dominate virtually every aspect of the game. The home team added its 4th goal early in the second half as veteran Paul Dailly—with one of his patented pin-point passes—sent Justin Thompson on a lethal breakaway. The former Whitecap defender made no mistake as he beat goalkeeper Brian Brum for his second goal of the contest. Midway through the second half, Robbie Giezen was brought down inside the Delta penalty area. Giezen himself converted the resulting penalty kick for West Van’s 5th goal. Soon thereafter, newly-signed Michael Nonni added the last nail to the Delta coffin by slotting the ball into the back of the net, after having been set up by Giezen. Very late in the match, the two Gomes brothers—Mike and Mark—combined to score Delta’s lone goal on a set play as Mark’s cross was headed home by younger brother Mike for his 5th goal of the season. As a result of their second consecutive loss, the Delta lads now find themselves in 5th place while the red-hot former Trollers remain all alone in first place in the Premier Division table.
COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES - ICSF INTER 3-1: Also on Friday evening, at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam, the hot-and-cold Wolves returned to their winning ways by defeating the visiting ‘Italians’ by a 3-1 margin. Both teams played very cautiously in the opening half, with Metro-Ford taking the lead at the 25th minute mark on a curling free kick by Emilio Bottiglieri that found the back of the net with the assistance of a deflection from the defensive wall. The second half was more wide-openly played as ICSF tried desperately to equalize. However, the Wolves added to their lead, once again on a goal by left-back Emilio Bottiglieri. On this occasion, Bottiglieri played a clever give-and-go with young Carlo Basso at the top of the Inter penalty area before neatly slotting the ball home for what proved to be the winning goal. At this point, Inter threw caution to the wind and Metro-Ford counter-attacked dangerously on several occasions. In fact, only some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Inter’s Erman Ozkan—as well as some sloppy finishing by the Wolves—kept the score at 2-0 till the 75th minute mark. At this point the visitors were able to narrow the margin as Adam Wallace made a determined run down the left flank before crossing the ball back to the far post where Sheldon Maistry had no difficulty whatsoever in heading it home. Once again, Inter pressed hard for the equalizer but, once again, the Wolves appeared to be more dangerous on numerous counter-attacks. Near the end of the match, youth call-up Carlo Basso was robbed by yet another great save by Erman Ozkan, only to have newly-signed Chris Jarvie pounce on the rebound and slot the ball home from close range. Left back Emilio Bottiglieri, central defenders Kingsley Jones and Brook Scott, and forward Carlo Basso turned in outstanding performances for the Wolves. Midfielder Joseph Marrello and goalkeeper Erman Ozkan also played very well for Inter, albeit in a losing cause. The defeat, Inter’s second in a row, drops the ‘Italians’ to 5th place in the Premier Division table, while the Wolves are tied for third place with the idle Columbus FC, and still in the hunt for a spot in the BC Premier League.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - NOVAN PACIFIC 2-0: The Firefighters maintained their challenge for a top 4 finish with a 2-0 victory over the visiting—and struggling—Norvan Pacific on Saturday at Cloverdale Athletic Park. As usual, the Surrey lads started brightly and enjoyed most of the early play but were unable to convert their extensive pressure into goals. Early in the match, Norvan’s veteran goalkeeper—Steve London—produced a great save to rob Surrey’s young striker Angus Burke of the opening goal after Rizal Ganief had done well to create the opening. Finally, after almost 40 minutes of constant pressure, United scored just before the interval when Burke broke down the left flank and fired a long-range shot that London saved brilliantly. Unfortunately for London, and the entire Norvan squad, the ball fell at the feet of an unmarked Lucas Barrett who tucked the ball into the net for what proved to be the winning goal. Early in the second half, the Cloverdale-based team continued to take the game to the visitors and only another great save by Steve London—on an Angus Burke volley—kept the scoreline at 1-0. The former Eagles took comfort in United’s inability to close out the game and got back into it by creating some excellent scoring chances of their own. In particular, Matt Hartwell was unfortunate not to score on a couple of occasions, while Surrey United’s goalkeeper—Drew Smiley—pulled off a superlative save on a shot by Kyle Guay. Late in the game, with Norvan pressing hard for the equalizer, the Firefighters put the game out of reach with a lethal counter-attack. Angus Burke once again raced down the left flank before brilliantly crossing the ball onto the path of Tyler Rosenlund who then hammered the ball home from close range. All in all, a very well played match between two teams with totally different ambitions!
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS - SAPPERTON ROVERS 1:0: Also on Saturday, at Minoru Oval in Richmond, the Hibernians recorded their fourth straight positive result by narrowly defeating the visiting Sapperton Rovers by a 1-0 margin. Richmond FC came out of the starting blocks with a great deal of determination and carried most of the play right from the opening whistle. The lone goal of the game was scored by Richmond’s Erik Olsen, at the 20th minute mark, after a great passing play also involving Mike Revelle, Chase Wickham, and Reynold Stewart. The second half was more or less a carbon copy of the first, with the Hibs controlling most of the play, mainly due to the fine play of midfielders Reynold Stewart, Chase Wickham, and Alan Chivers. Midway through the second half, however, Sapperton came close to equalizing when a Jason Pierotti shot—from just inside the penalty area—bounced off the goalpost and out of danger. Despite the loss, Sapperton’s defenders Ed Bradford and Brayden Volkenant—as well as midfielder Reyhan Ismail—played very well. Richmond’s young goalkeeper, Valerian Wiebe—recorded the shutout, his second in the VMSL Premier Division. The loss leaves the Rovers tied for last place with Norvan Pacific, while the Hibernians remain in 9th place with a 4-5-5 record.
CROATIA SC - WESTSIDE FC 2-1: The third Saturday game was played at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver between the red-hot Croatians and the rather unpredictable Westsiders. As expected, the Croatians were able to claim all 3 points, due to a well-earned 2-1 victory. After a rather lethargic and uneventful first half, Croatia SC took the lead 10 minutes into the second half when former professional Johnny Sulentic beat a few defenders down the right flank before crossing the ball to a wide-open Maarten Koorn who blasted it into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area. The Croatians continued to push forward in search of the all-important second goal and were finally rewarded at the 75th minute mark when Chris Craveiro made a fantastic run, split two Westside defenders, and was consequently brought down inside the box by Cam Kochorek. Ryan Zaharija scored easily on the ensuing penalty kick, giving his team a practically insurmountable 2-goal lead. The last few minutes of the match provided the numerous spectators with a lot of exciting action as Westside was finally able to narrow the margin when Sebastian Crema headed home a fine cross from Frank Glassen. Immediately thereafter, Croatia nearly re-established its 2-goal lead when Philip Kotter unleashed a brilliant volley from the corner of the 18-yard box. However, Westside’s goalkeeper—Rowan Anders—came up with a phenomenal diving save to keep the scoreline close. At this point, the Westsiders surged forward in search of the equalizer and—on practically the last kick of the game—nearly achieved their goal when Graeme Webber was unable to convert a great cross from Sebastian Crema. The Croatians victory—their 6th consecutive positive result—leaves them in the hunt for one of the 4 spots in next season’s BC Premier League. Westside FC, on the other hand, has not won a game during the last 5 weeks and remains near the bottom of the table with a 3-4-7 record.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: WEST VAN FC for its amazing performance in defeating the highly-regarded Delta United by an elaborate 6-1 margin. Led by the excellent play of former Whitecap Justin Thompson, the former Trollers virtually dominated every aspect of the match against the aspiring Delta lads. The defending triple-crown champions thus remain in sole possession of first place in the highly-competitive Premier Division of the VMSL with an enviable 8-2-3 record.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: West Van FC’s forward JUSTIN THOMPSON for his brilliant 2-goal performance in leading his team to an all-important 6-1 over the visiting Delta United. The former Whitecaps defender has adjusted very well to his new forward role and demonstrated his versatility by scoring two excellent goals. For his brilliant performance, JUSTIN THOMPSON will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-01-14.
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West Van FC remained in sole possession of first place as a result of an emphatic 6-1 victory over the visiting Delta United—the most one-sided result in this season’s Premier Division. One crucial match—between Columbus FC and ICST Pegasus—was postponed due to the unplayable field conditions at Vancouver Technical School. All the other matches ended with rather predictable results as the league table remained more or less the same. Hopefully, if the weather cooperates, 3 make-up games will be played this coming Friday. Needless to say, all 3 games are very important!
WEST VAN FC - DELTA UNITED 6-1: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the defending triple-crown champions literally destroyed the visiting Delta lads by a rather embarrassing 6-1 margin. West Van FC got off to a great start by scoring twice in the first 20 minutes of play. On the first goal, Justin Thompson—after a nifty give-and-go with Omari Aldridge—set up a streaking Tim Perry with an impeccable cross. Perry proceeded to volley the ball into the back of the net with an unstoppable, low drive. A few minutes later, former Whitecap Thompson became the finisher as he found the back of the net on a pass from young Robbie Giezen. It should be mentioned that Giezen had initially received the ball from Ryan Glanville after he had made a brilliant run down the left flank. With about 5 minutes to go in the first half, West Van tripled its lead with Thompson once again becoming the provider as he took advantage of a Delta defensive blunder before slipping the ball to a darting Ryan Glanville who proceeded to outmuscle a Delta defender before depositing the ball past goalkeeper Brian Brum. Just before the halftime whistle, Delta almost got on the scoreboard, but a brilliant save by goalkeeper Marco Durante—on a Shawn Blakeway breakaway—kept the score at 3-0 till the halftime break. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first, as West Van continued to dominate virtually every aspect of the game. The home team added its 4th goal early in the second half as veteran Paul Dailly—with one of his patented pin-point passes—sent Justin Thompson on a lethal breakaway. The former Whitecap defender made no mistake as he beat goalkeeper Brian Brum for his second goal of the contest. Midway through the second half, Robbie Giezen was brought down inside the Delta penalty area. Giezen himself converted the resulting penalty kick for West Van’s 5th goal. Soon thereafter, newly-signed Michael Nonni added the last nail to the Delta coffin by slotting the ball into the back of the net, after having been set up by Giezen. Very late in the match, the two Gomes brothers—Mike and Mark—combined to score Delta’s lone goal on a set play as Mark’s cross was headed home by younger brother Mike for his 5th goal of the season. As a result of their second consecutive loss, the Delta lads now find themselves in 5th place while the red-hot former Trollers remain all alone in first place in the Premier Division table.
COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES - ICSF INTER 3-1: Also on Friday evening, at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam, the hot-and-cold Wolves returned to their winning ways by defeating the visiting ‘Italians’ by a 3-1 margin. Both teams played very cautiously in the opening half, with Metro-Ford taking the lead at the 25th minute mark on a curling free kick by Emilio Bottiglieri that found the back of the net with the assistance of a deflection from the defensive wall. The second half was more wide-openly played as ICSF tried desperately to equalize. However, the Wolves added to their lead, once again on a goal by left-back Emilio Bottiglieri. On this occasion, Bottiglieri played a clever give-and-go with young Carlo Basso at the top of the Inter penalty area before neatly slotting the ball home for what proved to be the winning goal. At this point, Inter threw caution to the wind and Metro-Ford counter-attacked dangerously on several occasions. In fact, only some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Inter’s Erman Ozkan—as well as some sloppy finishing by the Wolves—kept the score at 2-0 till the 75th minute mark. At this point the visitors were able to narrow the margin as Adam Wallace made a determined run down the left flank before crossing the ball back to the far post where Sheldon Maistry had no difficulty whatsoever in heading it home. Once again, Inter pressed hard for the equalizer but, once again, the Wolves appeared to be more dangerous on numerous counter-attacks. Near the end of the match, youth call-up Carlo Basso was robbed by yet another great save by Erman Ozkan, only to have newly-signed Chris Jarvie pounce on the rebound and slot the ball home from close range. Left back Emilio Bottiglieri, central defenders Kingsley Jones and Brook Scott, and forward Carlo Basso turned in outstanding performances for the Wolves. Midfielder Joseph Marrello and goalkeeper Erman Ozkan also played very well for Inter, albeit in a losing cause. The defeat, Inter’s second in a row, drops the ‘Italians’ to 5th place in the Premier Division table, while the Wolves are tied for third place with the idle Columbus FC, and still in the hunt for a spot in the BC Premier League.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - NOVAN PACIFIC 2-0: The Firefighters maintained their challenge for a top 4 finish with a 2-0 victory over the visiting—and struggling—Norvan Pacific on Saturday at Cloverdale Athletic Park. As usual, the Surrey lads started brightly and enjoyed most of the early play but were unable to convert their extensive pressure into goals. Early in the match, Norvan’s veteran goalkeeper—Steve London—produced a great save to rob Surrey’s young striker Angus Burke of the opening goal after Rizal Ganief had done well to create the opening. Finally, after almost 40 minutes of constant pressure, United scored just before the interval when Burke broke down the left flank and fired a long-range shot that London saved brilliantly. Unfortunately for London, and the entire Norvan squad, the ball fell at the feet of an unmarked Lucas Barrett who tucked the ball into the net for what proved to be the winning goal. Early in the second half, the Cloverdale-based team continued to take the game to the visitors and only another great save by Steve London—on an Angus Burke volley—kept the scoreline at 1-0. The former Eagles took comfort in United’s inability to close out the game and got back into it by creating some excellent scoring chances of their own. In particular, Matt Hartwell was unfortunate not to score on a couple of occasions, while Surrey United’s goalkeeper—Drew Smiley—pulled off a superlative save on a shot by Kyle Guay. Late in the game, with Norvan pressing hard for the equalizer, the Firefighters put the game out of reach with a lethal counter-attack. Angus Burke once again raced down the left flank before brilliantly crossing the ball onto the path of Tyler Rosenlund who then hammered the ball home from close range. All in all, a very well played match between two teams with totally different ambitions!
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS - SAPPERTON ROVERS 1:0: Also on Saturday, at Minoru Oval in Richmond, the Hibernians recorded their fourth straight positive result by narrowly defeating the visiting Sapperton Rovers by a 1-0 margin. Richmond FC came out of the starting blocks with a great deal of determination and carried most of the play right from the opening whistle. The lone goal of the game was scored by Richmond’s Erik Olsen, at the 20th minute mark, after a great passing play also involving Mike Revelle, Chase Wickham, and Reynold Stewart. The second half was more or less a carbon copy of the first, with the Hibs controlling most of the play, mainly due to the fine play of midfielders Reynold Stewart, Chase Wickham, and Alan Chivers. Midway through the second half, however, Sapperton came close to equalizing when a Jason Pierotti shot—from just inside the penalty area—bounced off the goalpost and out of danger. Despite the loss, Sapperton’s defenders Ed Bradford and Brayden Volkenant—as well as midfielder Reyhan Ismail—played very well. Richmond’s young goalkeeper, Valerian Wiebe—recorded the shutout, his second in the VMSL Premier Division. The loss leaves the Rovers tied for last place with Norvan Pacific, while the Hibernians remain in 9th place with a 4-5-5 record.
CROATIA SC - WESTSIDE FC 2-1: The third Saturday game was played at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver between the red-hot Croatians and the rather unpredictable Westsiders. As expected, the Croatians were able to claim all 3 points, due to a well-earned 2-1 victory. After a rather lethargic and uneventful first half, Croatia SC took the lead 10 minutes into the second half when former professional Johnny Sulentic beat a few defenders down the right flank before crossing the ball to a wide-open Maarten Koorn who blasted it into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area. The Croatians continued to push forward in search of the all-important second goal and were finally rewarded at the 75th minute mark when Chris Craveiro made a fantastic run, split two Westside defenders, and was consequently brought down inside the box by Cam Kochorek. Ryan Zaharija scored easily on the ensuing penalty kick, giving his team a practically insurmountable 2-goal lead. The last few minutes of the match provided the numerous spectators with a lot of exciting action as Westside was finally able to narrow the margin when Sebastian Crema headed home a fine cross from Frank Glassen. Immediately thereafter, Croatia nearly re-established its 2-goal lead when Philip Kotter unleashed a brilliant volley from the corner of the 18-yard box. However, Westside’s goalkeeper—Rowan Anders—came up with a phenomenal diving save to keep the scoreline close. At this point, the Westsiders surged forward in search of the equalizer and—on practically the last kick of the game—nearly achieved their goal when Graeme Webber was unable to convert a great cross from Sebastian Crema. The Croatians victory—their 6th consecutive positive result—leaves them in the hunt for one of the 4 spots in next season’s BC Premier League. Westside FC, on the other hand, has not won a game during the last 5 weeks and remains near the bottom of the table with a 3-4-7 record.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: WEST VAN FC for its amazing performance in defeating the highly-regarded Delta United by an elaborate 6-1 margin. Led by the excellent play of former Whitecap Justin Thompson, the former Trollers virtually dominated every aspect of the match against the aspiring Delta lads. The defending triple-crown champions thus remain in sole possession of first place in the highly-competitive Premier Division of the VMSL with an enviable 8-2-3 record.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: West Van FC’s forward JUSTIN THOMPSON for his brilliant 2-goal performance in leading his team to an all-important 6-1 over the visiting Delta United. The former Whitecaps defender has adjusted very well to his new forward role and demonstrated his versatility by scoring two excellent goals. For his brilliant performance, JUSTIN THOMPSON will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-01-14.
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- Thread starter
- #31
MAKE-UP GAMES
2009-12-22
Three very important make-up games were played on Friday evening with 2 of them ending in surprising results. In fact, the struggling Sapperton Rovers were able to defeat the heavily-favoured Croatia SC by a 3-1 margin, while ICST Pegasus upset the high-flying Columbus FC by a narrow, and hard-fought, 3-2 score. The third match, between the two top teams in the Premier Division—West Van FC and Surrey United—ended in a rather predictable 0-0 tie.
SAPPERTON ROVERS – CROATIA SC 3-1: The Rovers came out of their lengthy slump with a vengeance and were able to bounce out of last place as a result of a surprising 3-1 victory over Croatia SC in a match played on Friday evening at Burnaby Lake West Complex. Midway through the first half, Sapperton took the lead when veteran defender Ed Bradford converted a well-taken corner kick to the near post with a brilliant far-post header. Shortly thereafter, Sapperton almost added its second goal of the match when Colin Phillips was sent in on goal by a cleaver pass from Jason Pierotti. Unfortunately for Phillips—and the rest of the Sapperton clan—his close-range shot barely missed the net. Ten minutes later, Jeff Rogers doubled the Rovers’ lead when he unleashed a wicked, long-range blast from well outside the penalty area into the top corner of the Croatian net. Just before the half-time whistle, Croatia SC narrowed the margin when Marinko Maras took advantage of a great pass from Shawn Parkes and proceeded to beat goalkeeper Garth Lagasse with a well-placed low shot. In the second half the Croatians worked relentlessly in an attempt to tie the score and came close on several occasions. However, some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Lagasse—as well as some poor finishing by the Croatian attackers—kept the scoreline in Sapperton’s favour. In particular, Marinko Maras was denied what appeared to be a sure goal by an outstanding Lagasse save, while Kreso Vonic barely missed the net with a long-range blast that seemed destined for the top corner of the net. With 10 minutes to go in the match, the Rovers added their third goal when veteran striker Ted Ullrich sent young Andrew Celenza on a breakaway with a clever pass. Celenza then calmly deposited the ball into the bottom right-hand corned of the net for the insurance marker. Defensively, Brayden Volkenant and Ed Bradford played brilliantly for the Rovers, while goalkeeper Garth Lagasse made several amazing saves, mostly in the second half of play. As mentioned earlier, the long-awaited victory elevates the Rovers out of a last place tie with Norvan Pacific, while the aspiring Croatians remain in 8th place with a rather mediocre 5-3-6 record.
ICST PEGASUS - COLUMBUS FC 3-2: In the meantime, on an adjacent field at Burnaby Lake West Complex, Pegasus climbed into sole possession of 5th place with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the red-hot Columbus FC. After a slow start to the season, Columbus had climbed up the ladder of the Premier Division standings by recording 4 consecutive victories, the last 3 by shutout. However, Columbus’ remarkable streak came to an end on Friday evening against a very determined Pegasus squad. With both teams missing several starters, the game turned out to be a rather scrappy affair with Pegasus dominating the first half and Columbus having most of the possession during the latter part of the match. Goldy Takhar opened the scoring for Pegasus early in the game when he converted a nifty low cross by CJ Jhooty with a rather easy tap-in. Midway through the first half, Pegasus doubled its lead on a goal by Meysam Soltani, once again from close range, but this time on a flick-on by Ryan Powell. Shortly thereafter, Goldy Takhar added his second goal of the match—and what proved to be the winner—once again from close range, and once again on a great pass from CJ Jhooty. Columbus bounced back in the second half—and despite some excellent defending on the part of Gurjit Dhaliwal and Jag Sajan—were able to score two late goals to make things interesting. On the first goal, veteran Aaron Keay brilliantly headed home a fine Steve DeBlasio cross from inside the 18-yard box. Near the end of the match, Robbie Cairns took advantage of a goal-mouth scramble and hammered home an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area. Unfortunately for the ‘Italians’ it was ‘too little, too late’ as Pegasus was able to hold on to its narrow lead till the final whistle. It should be mentioned that young Adam Costley made a successful coaching debut on the Pegasus bench as he replaced a holidaying Rob Reed! Also, Pegasus veteran goalkeeper Paul Sandhu made his second start of the season and recorded ‘half-a-shutout’ as he was replaced by young Malcolm Ho in the second half. Pegasus’ victory maintains its hopes of qualifying for the BC Premier League alive, while Columbus remains tied for third place with a 7-2-5 record.
WEST VAN FC - SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS 0-0: The last game of 2009 was played at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver on Friday evening and featured the two top Premier Division teams in what could easily be called ‘The Battle of the Giants’. Despite the fact that both teams were missing several starters, the game was very well played and heavily contested. The final result—a 0-0 tie—is probably a fair one as both teams shared the overall ball possession—as well as goalscoring opportunities—more or less equally. Surrey United controlled the opening 20 minutes and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions. In particular, an excellent scoring chance by young Angus Burke went awry as he missed the net from close range. The former Trollers replied in kind in the latter part of the first half, but some excellent defending on the part of Surrey’s Mason Webb, Brad Petoom, and Jeff Buchanan kept the vaunted West Van attackers off the scoresheet. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as both teams took turns attacking and defending. The Firemen came close to scoring midway through the second half, but goalkeeper Marco Durante came up with a brilliant save on a Vinnie Stewart breakaway—after a clever 3-way passing play also involving Justin Carvery and Tyler Rosenlund. Shortly thereafter, former Whitecaps’ captain Jeff Clarke barely missed the net with a close-range header. At the other end of the pitch, young Robbie Giezen came very close to scoring when he raced in on goalkeeper Drew Smiley, after having been set up by Corey Birza. However, Giezen’s shot—with Smiley clearly beaten—went just wide of the net. Just before the final whistle, West Van once again came very close to claiming all 3 points but Omari Aldridge failed to finish off a Kyle McDiarmid header to the near post. Defensively, Max Baessato and Tim Perry played extremely well for West Van FC, while both goalkeepers—Surrey’s Drew Smiley and West Van’s Marco Durante—fully deserved their respective clean sheets. The result leaves West Van FC in first place—with a 8-3-3 record—while Surrey United remains in second place, two points behind the leaders.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: SAPPERTON ROVERS for their outstanding performance in defeating the heavily-favoured Croatia SC by a 3-2 margin. Led by the superlative performances of defenders Ed Bradford and Brayden Volkenant, the Rovers kept the very dangerous Croatian attackers at bay for most of the match. As a result of the upset victory, the underdog Rovers climb out of last place and enhance their chances of avoiding relegation to the first division.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: ICST Pegasus’ GOLDY TAKHAR and Sapperton Rovers’ ED (WOODY) BRADFORD for their excellent performances in their teams’ upset victories over the heavily-favoured Columbus FC and Croatia SC respectively. Thakar scored two marvellous goals is Pegasus’ narrow 3-2 victory against Columbus, while the veteran Bradford was a tower of strength on Sapperton’s defensive backline throughout the match. For their outstanding performances, Takhar and Bradford will each receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-01-21.
2009-12-22
Three very important make-up games were played on Friday evening with 2 of them ending in surprising results. In fact, the struggling Sapperton Rovers were able to defeat the heavily-favoured Croatia SC by a 3-1 margin, while ICST Pegasus upset the high-flying Columbus FC by a narrow, and hard-fought, 3-2 score. The third match, between the two top teams in the Premier Division—West Van FC and Surrey United—ended in a rather predictable 0-0 tie.
SAPPERTON ROVERS – CROATIA SC 3-1: The Rovers came out of their lengthy slump with a vengeance and were able to bounce out of last place as a result of a surprising 3-1 victory over Croatia SC in a match played on Friday evening at Burnaby Lake West Complex. Midway through the first half, Sapperton took the lead when veteran defender Ed Bradford converted a well-taken corner kick to the near post with a brilliant far-post header. Shortly thereafter, Sapperton almost added its second goal of the match when Colin Phillips was sent in on goal by a cleaver pass from Jason Pierotti. Unfortunately for Phillips—and the rest of the Sapperton clan—his close-range shot barely missed the net. Ten minutes later, Jeff Rogers doubled the Rovers’ lead when he unleashed a wicked, long-range blast from well outside the penalty area into the top corner of the Croatian net. Just before the half-time whistle, Croatia SC narrowed the margin when Marinko Maras took advantage of a great pass from Shawn Parkes and proceeded to beat goalkeeper Garth Lagasse with a well-placed low shot. In the second half the Croatians worked relentlessly in an attempt to tie the score and came close on several occasions. However, some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Lagasse—as well as some poor finishing by the Croatian attackers—kept the scoreline in Sapperton’s favour. In particular, Marinko Maras was denied what appeared to be a sure goal by an outstanding Lagasse save, while Kreso Vonic barely missed the net with a long-range blast that seemed destined for the top corner of the net. With 10 minutes to go in the match, the Rovers added their third goal when veteran striker Ted Ullrich sent young Andrew Celenza on a breakaway with a clever pass. Celenza then calmly deposited the ball into the bottom right-hand corned of the net for the insurance marker. Defensively, Brayden Volkenant and Ed Bradford played brilliantly for the Rovers, while goalkeeper Garth Lagasse made several amazing saves, mostly in the second half of play. As mentioned earlier, the long-awaited victory elevates the Rovers out of a last place tie with Norvan Pacific, while the aspiring Croatians remain in 8th place with a rather mediocre 5-3-6 record.
ICST PEGASUS - COLUMBUS FC 3-2: In the meantime, on an adjacent field at Burnaby Lake West Complex, Pegasus climbed into sole possession of 5th place with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the red-hot Columbus FC. After a slow start to the season, Columbus had climbed up the ladder of the Premier Division standings by recording 4 consecutive victories, the last 3 by shutout. However, Columbus’ remarkable streak came to an end on Friday evening against a very determined Pegasus squad. With both teams missing several starters, the game turned out to be a rather scrappy affair with Pegasus dominating the first half and Columbus having most of the possession during the latter part of the match. Goldy Takhar opened the scoring for Pegasus early in the game when he converted a nifty low cross by CJ Jhooty with a rather easy tap-in. Midway through the first half, Pegasus doubled its lead on a goal by Meysam Soltani, once again from close range, but this time on a flick-on by Ryan Powell. Shortly thereafter, Goldy Takhar added his second goal of the match—and what proved to be the winner—once again from close range, and once again on a great pass from CJ Jhooty. Columbus bounced back in the second half—and despite some excellent defending on the part of Gurjit Dhaliwal and Jag Sajan—were able to score two late goals to make things interesting. On the first goal, veteran Aaron Keay brilliantly headed home a fine Steve DeBlasio cross from inside the 18-yard box. Near the end of the match, Robbie Cairns took advantage of a goal-mouth scramble and hammered home an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area. Unfortunately for the ‘Italians’ it was ‘too little, too late’ as Pegasus was able to hold on to its narrow lead till the final whistle. It should be mentioned that young Adam Costley made a successful coaching debut on the Pegasus bench as he replaced a holidaying Rob Reed! Also, Pegasus veteran goalkeeper Paul Sandhu made his second start of the season and recorded ‘half-a-shutout’ as he was replaced by young Malcolm Ho in the second half. Pegasus’ victory maintains its hopes of qualifying for the BC Premier League alive, while Columbus remains tied for third place with a 7-2-5 record.
WEST VAN FC - SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS 0-0: The last game of 2009 was played at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver on Friday evening and featured the two top Premier Division teams in what could easily be called ‘The Battle of the Giants’. Despite the fact that both teams were missing several starters, the game was very well played and heavily contested. The final result—a 0-0 tie—is probably a fair one as both teams shared the overall ball possession—as well as goalscoring opportunities—more or less equally. Surrey United controlled the opening 20 minutes and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions. In particular, an excellent scoring chance by young Angus Burke went awry as he missed the net from close range. The former Trollers replied in kind in the latter part of the first half, but some excellent defending on the part of Surrey’s Mason Webb, Brad Petoom, and Jeff Buchanan kept the vaunted West Van attackers off the scoresheet. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as both teams took turns attacking and defending. The Firemen came close to scoring midway through the second half, but goalkeeper Marco Durante came up with a brilliant save on a Vinnie Stewart breakaway—after a clever 3-way passing play also involving Justin Carvery and Tyler Rosenlund. Shortly thereafter, former Whitecaps’ captain Jeff Clarke barely missed the net with a close-range header. At the other end of the pitch, young Robbie Giezen came very close to scoring when he raced in on goalkeeper Drew Smiley, after having been set up by Corey Birza. However, Giezen’s shot—with Smiley clearly beaten—went just wide of the net. Just before the final whistle, West Van once again came very close to claiming all 3 points but Omari Aldridge failed to finish off a Kyle McDiarmid header to the near post. Defensively, Max Baessato and Tim Perry played extremely well for West Van FC, while both goalkeepers—Surrey’s Drew Smiley and West Van’s Marco Durante—fully deserved their respective clean sheets. The result leaves West Van FC in first place—with a 8-3-3 record—while Surrey United remains in second place, two points behind the leaders.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: SAPPERTON ROVERS for their outstanding performance in defeating the heavily-favoured Croatia SC by a 3-2 margin. Led by the superlative performances of defenders Ed Bradford and Brayden Volkenant, the Rovers kept the very dangerous Croatian attackers at bay for most of the match. As a result of the upset victory, the underdog Rovers climb out of last place and enhance their chances of avoiding relegation to the first division.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: ICST Pegasus’ GOLDY TAKHAR and Sapperton Rovers’ ED (WOODY) BRADFORD for their excellent performances in their teams’ upset victories over the heavily-favoured Columbus FC and Croatia SC respectively. Thakar scored two marvellous goals is Pegasus’ narrow 3-2 victory against Columbus, while the veteran Bradford was a tower of strength on Sapperton’s defensive backline throughout the match. For their outstanding performances, Takhar and Bradford will each receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-01-21.
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- #32
WEEK #15—2010-01-11
West Van FC, Surrey United, and ICST Pegasus continued their impressive unbeaten streaks with impressive victories in their matches this past weekend. On the other hand, a couple of other aspiring teams—Coquitlam Metro-Ford and Columbus FC—suffered devastating losses and are now on the verge of losing a spot in the upcoming BC Premier League. At the other end of the table, Norvan Pacific suffered its 6th consecutive loss and thus remains mired in last place, albeit only 3 points behind the Sapperton Rovers.
WEST VAN FC - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 2-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the defending triple-crown champions remained solidly in first place with a well-earned 2-0 victory over the visiting Hibernians. The former Trollers came out of the starting gate with a vengeance and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions before former Whitecap Justin Thompson converted a Paul Dailly corner kick into what proved to be the winning goal with a fine header. The league leaders continued to press and came close to scoring on several other occasions, particularly on a wicked free kick by veteran Paul Dailly and on a great header by Leo Nash. Unfortunately for West Van, both attempts rang off the woodwork and out of danger. In the second half, the Hibs tried desperately to get back into the match but were unable to create any meaningful scoring opportunities, mostly due to some excellent defending on the part of Leo Nash, Tim Perry, Paul Dailly, and Max Baessato. The one exception came early in the second half when Richmond’s Jon Bula slipped a great pass to a streaking Chase Wickham whose low shot barely missed the corner of the West Van net. At the other end of the pitch, Ryan Glanville and Milad Rahmati drove the Richmond defenders to distraction with their darting runs but some excellent goalkeeping by Matt Clayton kept the game within reach for the Hibernians. Late in the match, however, Milad Rahmati was fouled inside the Richmond penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to the defending champions. As usual, veteran Paul Dailly stepped up to the plate and easily converted the spot shot into the insurance marker. The result leaves West Van FC in first place, with a 2-point lead over Surrey United, while Richmond FC remains in ninth place, only one point ahead of the resurgent Westside FC.
ICST PEGASUS - COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES 2-1: Also on Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, the red-hot Pegasus continued to impress by edging the visiting Coquitlam team by a 2-1 margin. The home team got off to a flying start and narrowly missed several goalscoring chances in the early going. In particular, Meysam Soltani was very unlucky as he rang his shot off the goalpost with goalkeeper Mathew Bird well-beaten. Midway through the first half, however, David Samra opened the scoring for Pegasus when he beat a couple of Metro-Ford defenders at the edge of the penalty area and calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net from close range. The go-ahead goal seemed to serve as a wake-up call for the Wolves as they proceeded to dominate the remainder of the first half. After Pegasus goalkeeper Andy Singh had made a couple of outstanding saves—on shots by Carlo Basso and Russel Huggon—Metro-Ford finally tied things up late in the first half when former Whitecap Alfredo Valente converted an excellent 2-way passing play between Emilio Bottiglieri and youth call-up Carlo Basso. In the second half, both teams took turns attacking and defending with Metro-Ford coming very close to taking the lead on two separate occasions. On the first, young centre-back Paul Clerc watched agonizingly as his great header was brilliantly saved by Andy Singh, while the second opportunity arose when Jovan Blagojevic narrowly missed the target with a wicked shot from the top of the penalty area. As luck would have it, however, it was the home team that scored the winning goal at about the 70th minute mark as David Samra notched his second goal of the contest after an amazing display by young Chetan Jhooty. In fact, Jhooty took possession of the ball in his own half of the field, eluded several opponents on his way towards the Metro-Ford goal, hesitated in the penalty area amidst a few defenders, and then unselfishly set up David Samra for the winning goal. Midfielder Rich Fagan turned in an outstanding performance for the winning team as he ran miles in the middle of the park and completed at least half a dozen world class tackles against his very skilful opponents. Metro-Ford’s defender, youth-call up Paul Clerc, also played remarkably well, albeit in a losing cause. As a result of the all-important victory, Pegasus gained sole possession of third place, with an excellent chance of qualifying for next season’s BC Premier League. The Wolves, on the other hand, are now in a 3-way tie for fourth place, albeit with a game in hand over ICSF Inter and Columbus FC.
ICSF INTER - SAPPERTON ROVERS 3-2: The third, and last, Friday evening game was played at Vancouver Technical School between two teams with totally different aspirations: the visiting Sapperton Rovers are trying desperately to stay out of the dreaded relegation zone, while ICST Inter is still in the running for one of the four spots in next season’s BC Premier League. That being said, the game was very evenly played proving once again the wonderful parity which exists in the VMSL Premier Division. Inter had a couple of early chances to open the scoring but Paul Bolina sent his shot over the crossbar while Tino Cucca’s well-placed drive was brilliantly saved by the Rovers’ goalkeeper, Garth Lagasse. As often happens, however, it was Sapperton that took the lead midway through the first half when a 3-way passing play—involving Andrew Celenza, Reyhan Ismail, and Jeff Rogers—allowed Celenza to break into the box and chip the ball over the head of goalkeeper Erman Ozkan for the go-ahead goal. Inter tied things up at about the 40th minute mark when Mike Winter unleashed an unstoppable volley, a shot that gave Lagasse no chance whatsoever. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first, with both teams trying desperately to gather all 3 points. The ‘Italians’ took the lead at the 60th minute mark when Liam Miller’s pass—aided and abetted by a defensive deflection—found a wide-open Paul Bolina who proceeded to hammer the ball home for his first goal of the season. Shortly thereafter, the Rovers knotted the score as Andrew Celenza scored his second goal of the match—on a brilliant low shot from the edge of the box—after having received a great cross from Reyhan Ismail. However, at about the 80th minute mark, Inter scored the winning goal as GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca—after receiving an excellent pass from veteran Laurent Scaligine—clinically deposited the ball into the back of the Sapperton net. Very late in the match, the Rovers came close to tying things up but Jeff Rogers was unable to convert a well-taken free kick by Reyhan Ismail. Midfielders Mike Winter and Milos Jeftic played extremely well for ICSF Inter, while Sapperton’s defender Brayden Volkenant and midfielder Brody Phillips—as well as Celenza and Ismail—turned in outstanding performance in a losing cause. The victory elevates ICSF into a 4th place tie with Metro-Ford and Columbus, while the Rovers are still only 3 points out of last place.
WESTSIDE FC - NORVAN PACIFIC 2-0: The Westsiders climbed out of the relegation zone with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over the luckless Norvan squad in a game played on Saturday at Confederation Park in North Vancouver. The visitors started the game with an offensively-minded 3-5-2 formation and were rewarded early in the match when newly-signed Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone smashed home an unstoppable half-volley from a very tight angle just off the goal line. Norvan replied in kind and came close to tying things up on a couple of occasions but efforts by Scott Howey and Matt Hartwell went awry. Westside continued to carry the play and found a second goal at the 30th minute mark when Nick Perugini’s well-taken corner kick was cleverly headed back across the net by Sebastian Crema to Jay Kent-Hume who powerfully headed the ball into the back of the net for the insurance marker. The former Eagles bounced back in the second half and tried desperately to get back into the match but some excellent defending on the part of Westside’s Sam Wallace, Graeme Webber, and Nick Perugini—as well as some solid goalkeeping by Rowan Anders—kept the home team off the scoresheet. It should be mentioned that Norvan’s Nathan Harte came close to narrowing the margin on a couple of occasions but failed to finish his glorious opportunities. Westside’s Steve Johnson was instrumental to the victory with his excellent performance in the middle of the park, while Norvan’s defender Tony Seddon and midfielder Nathaniel Blaiklock worked very hard in a losing cause.
CROATIA SC - COLUMBUS FC 3-0: On Sunday, at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver, the Croatians bounced back from their pre-Christmas defeat at the hands of the Sapperton Rovers by beating the highly-regarded—and heavily-favoured—Columbus FC by an emphatic 3-0 margin. The home team got off to a great start and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions in the early going but a great save by Columbus’s goalkeeper Thomas Lindley—on a close-range shot by Philip Kotter—as well as Christian Tropeano’s shot off the goal post kept the score level until the 35th mark. At this point, Maarten Koorn played a wonderful ball from the halfway line to an unmarked Tropeano who proceeded to fire the ball home with an unstoppable shot for Croatia’s go-ahead goal. Late in the first half, former professional Johnny Sulentic made a fantastic run down the right wing and, after beating a couple of Columbus defenders, played a perfect pass across the goal area to an unmarked Marinko Maras who made no mistake in finishing the play with his team’s second goal. Early in the second half Tropeano scored his second goal of the match as he converted a penalty kick awarded for a foul committed against Johnny Sulentic. To their credit, the ‘Italians’ never gave up and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions but some poor finishing on their part—as well as some excellent goalkeeping by Croatia’s Didar Sandhu kept the score at 3-0 till the final whistle. In particular, at the 65th minute Steve Frazao inexplicably miskicked the ball from close range with the Croatia net wide open. Then, at about the 75th minute mark, Tiarnan King failed to convert a penalty kick awarded for a foul by Chris Craveiro on Jonathan Poli as Sandhu was able to get his feet on a ‘down-the-middle’ spot shot. Late in the match, Sandhu once again rose to the occasion as he thwarted a breakaway attempt by Steve DeBlasio with a well-timed sliding challenge. Columbus’ Frank Mollica and Jeff DeBlasio played very well in their respective left back and left midfield positions, while Croatia’s defender Kreso Vonic, goalkeeper Didar Sandhu, midfielder Johnny Sulentic, and forward Christian Tropeano, were outstanding throughout the match. The victory puts the Croatians back in contention for promotion to the BC Premier League, while Columbus’ second consecutive loss leaves the ‘Italians’ only 1 point ahead of the Croatians.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - DELTA UNITED 4-0: Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, the Firemen continued their unbeaten streak, with their 5th consecutive positive result, by beating the struggling Delta lads by an elaborate 4-0 margin. Surrey United took the early lead at the 7th minute mark when young Joseph Martin made a great run down the right flank, beat a couple of flat-footed Delta defenders, and placed an excellent low cross onto the path of newly-signed Andrew Proctor who made no mistake in scoring what proved to be the winning goal from close range. Late in the first half, Martin switched roles as he became the finisher as he converted an excellent cross from young Angus Burke—after the youngster had made a great run—into his team’s second goal. Just before the halftime whistle, Surrey goalkeeper Drew Smiley came up with a great save on a shot by Devin Greenside to preserve his team’s 2-0 halftime lead. Very early in the second half, the Firefighters added their third goal when Lucas Barrett buried the ball into the net after receiving a great pass from teammate Justin Carvery. At the 80th minute mark, Surrey United’s Rizal Ganief put the last nail in the Delta coffin as he rounded out the scoring with a blistering volley into the upper corner of the net. Near the end of the match, Drew Smiley once again rose to the occasion as he pulled off a couple of incredible saves on shots by Delta’s Shawn Blakeway and Gibson Bardsley. Despite the emphatic loss, Delta’s midfielder CJ Greenside played quite well, while Surrey’s defensive quartet—composed of Brad Petoom, Steve McAuley, Vinnie Stewart, and Stefan Leslie—performed impeccably throughout the contest. The victory elevates Surrey United into sole possession of second place, only 2 points behind league leading West Van FC, while the Delta lads drop to 8th spot as a result of their third consecutive loss.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: CROATIA SC for its amazing performance in defeating the highly-regarded Columbus FC by a clear-cut 3-0 margin. Led by the excellent play of former Whitecaps Didar Sandhu and Johnny Sulentic, as well as a 2-goal performance by Christian Tropeano, the Croatians climbed to 21 points in the standings—only 2 short of fourth place and a spot in the BC Premier League.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Croatia SC’s goalkeeper DIDAR SANDHU for his superlative performance in his team’s 3-0 victory over Columbus FC. Sandhu was rock-solid throughout the 90 minutes of play as his domination in the box made it difficult for Columbus to score. He also made a few great saves, including one on Tiarnan King’s penalty kick. For his brilliant performance, DIDAR SANDHU will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-01-28.
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West Van FC, Surrey United, and ICST Pegasus continued their impressive unbeaten streaks with impressive victories in their matches this past weekend. On the other hand, a couple of other aspiring teams—Coquitlam Metro-Ford and Columbus FC—suffered devastating losses and are now on the verge of losing a spot in the upcoming BC Premier League. At the other end of the table, Norvan Pacific suffered its 6th consecutive loss and thus remains mired in last place, albeit only 3 points behind the Sapperton Rovers.
WEST VAN FC - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 2-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the defending triple-crown champions remained solidly in first place with a well-earned 2-0 victory over the visiting Hibernians. The former Trollers came out of the starting gate with a vengeance and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions before former Whitecap Justin Thompson converted a Paul Dailly corner kick into what proved to be the winning goal with a fine header. The league leaders continued to press and came close to scoring on several other occasions, particularly on a wicked free kick by veteran Paul Dailly and on a great header by Leo Nash. Unfortunately for West Van, both attempts rang off the woodwork and out of danger. In the second half, the Hibs tried desperately to get back into the match but were unable to create any meaningful scoring opportunities, mostly due to some excellent defending on the part of Leo Nash, Tim Perry, Paul Dailly, and Max Baessato. The one exception came early in the second half when Richmond’s Jon Bula slipped a great pass to a streaking Chase Wickham whose low shot barely missed the corner of the West Van net. At the other end of the pitch, Ryan Glanville and Milad Rahmati drove the Richmond defenders to distraction with their darting runs but some excellent goalkeeping by Matt Clayton kept the game within reach for the Hibernians. Late in the match, however, Milad Rahmati was fouled inside the Richmond penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to the defending champions. As usual, veteran Paul Dailly stepped up to the plate and easily converted the spot shot into the insurance marker. The result leaves West Van FC in first place, with a 2-point lead over Surrey United, while Richmond FC remains in ninth place, only one point ahead of the resurgent Westside FC.
ICST PEGASUS - COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES 2-1: Also on Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, the red-hot Pegasus continued to impress by edging the visiting Coquitlam team by a 2-1 margin. The home team got off to a flying start and narrowly missed several goalscoring chances in the early going. In particular, Meysam Soltani was very unlucky as he rang his shot off the goalpost with goalkeeper Mathew Bird well-beaten. Midway through the first half, however, David Samra opened the scoring for Pegasus when he beat a couple of Metro-Ford defenders at the edge of the penalty area and calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net from close range. The go-ahead goal seemed to serve as a wake-up call for the Wolves as they proceeded to dominate the remainder of the first half. After Pegasus goalkeeper Andy Singh had made a couple of outstanding saves—on shots by Carlo Basso and Russel Huggon—Metro-Ford finally tied things up late in the first half when former Whitecap Alfredo Valente converted an excellent 2-way passing play between Emilio Bottiglieri and youth call-up Carlo Basso. In the second half, both teams took turns attacking and defending with Metro-Ford coming very close to taking the lead on two separate occasions. On the first, young centre-back Paul Clerc watched agonizingly as his great header was brilliantly saved by Andy Singh, while the second opportunity arose when Jovan Blagojevic narrowly missed the target with a wicked shot from the top of the penalty area. As luck would have it, however, it was the home team that scored the winning goal at about the 70th minute mark as David Samra notched his second goal of the contest after an amazing display by young Chetan Jhooty. In fact, Jhooty took possession of the ball in his own half of the field, eluded several opponents on his way towards the Metro-Ford goal, hesitated in the penalty area amidst a few defenders, and then unselfishly set up David Samra for the winning goal. Midfielder Rich Fagan turned in an outstanding performance for the winning team as he ran miles in the middle of the park and completed at least half a dozen world class tackles against his very skilful opponents. Metro-Ford’s defender, youth-call up Paul Clerc, also played remarkably well, albeit in a losing cause. As a result of the all-important victory, Pegasus gained sole possession of third place, with an excellent chance of qualifying for next season’s BC Premier League. The Wolves, on the other hand, are now in a 3-way tie for fourth place, albeit with a game in hand over ICSF Inter and Columbus FC.
ICSF INTER - SAPPERTON ROVERS 3-2: The third, and last, Friday evening game was played at Vancouver Technical School between two teams with totally different aspirations: the visiting Sapperton Rovers are trying desperately to stay out of the dreaded relegation zone, while ICST Inter is still in the running for one of the four spots in next season’s BC Premier League. That being said, the game was very evenly played proving once again the wonderful parity which exists in the VMSL Premier Division. Inter had a couple of early chances to open the scoring but Paul Bolina sent his shot over the crossbar while Tino Cucca’s well-placed drive was brilliantly saved by the Rovers’ goalkeeper, Garth Lagasse. As often happens, however, it was Sapperton that took the lead midway through the first half when a 3-way passing play—involving Andrew Celenza, Reyhan Ismail, and Jeff Rogers—allowed Celenza to break into the box and chip the ball over the head of goalkeeper Erman Ozkan for the go-ahead goal. Inter tied things up at about the 40th minute mark when Mike Winter unleashed an unstoppable volley, a shot that gave Lagasse no chance whatsoever. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first, with both teams trying desperately to gather all 3 points. The ‘Italians’ took the lead at the 60th minute mark when Liam Miller’s pass—aided and abetted by a defensive deflection—found a wide-open Paul Bolina who proceeded to hammer the ball home for his first goal of the season. Shortly thereafter, the Rovers knotted the score as Andrew Celenza scored his second goal of the match—on a brilliant low shot from the edge of the box—after having received a great cross from Reyhan Ismail. However, at about the 80th minute mark, Inter scored the winning goal as GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca—after receiving an excellent pass from veteran Laurent Scaligine—clinically deposited the ball into the back of the Sapperton net. Very late in the match, the Rovers came close to tying things up but Jeff Rogers was unable to convert a well-taken free kick by Reyhan Ismail. Midfielders Mike Winter and Milos Jeftic played extremely well for ICSF Inter, while Sapperton’s defender Brayden Volkenant and midfielder Brody Phillips—as well as Celenza and Ismail—turned in outstanding performance in a losing cause. The victory elevates ICSF into a 4th place tie with Metro-Ford and Columbus, while the Rovers are still only 3 points out of last place.
WESTSIDE FC - NORVAN PACIFIC 2-0: The Westsiders climbed out of the relegation zone with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over the luckless Norvan squad in a game played on Saturday at Confederation Park in North Vancouver. The visitors started the game with an offensively-minded 3-5-2 formation and were rewarded early in the match when newly-signed Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone smashed home an unstoppable half-volley from a very tight angle just off the goal line. Norvan replied in kind and came close to tying things up on a couple of occasions but efforts by Scott Howey and Matt Hartwell went awry. Westside continued to carry the play and found a second goal at the 30th minute mark when Nick Perugini’s well-taken corner kick was cleverly headed back across the net by Sebastian Crema to Jay Kent-Hume who powerfully headed the ball into the back of the net for the insurance marker. The former Eagles bounced back in the second half and tried desperately to get back into the match but some excellent defending on the part of Westside’s Sam Wallace, Graeme Webber, and Nick Perugini—as well as some solid goalkeeping by Rowan Anders—kept the home team off the scoresheet. It should be mentioned that Norvan’s Nathan Harte came close to narrowing the margin on a couple of occasions but failed to finish his glorious opportunities. Westside’s Steve Johnson was instrumental to the victory with his excellent performance in the middle of the park, while Norvan’s defender Tony Seddon and midfielder Nathaniel Blaiklock worked very hard in a losing cause.
CROATIA SC - COLUMBUS FC 3-0: On Sunday, at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver, the Croatians bounced back from their pre-Christmas defeat at the hands of the Sapperton Rovers by beating the highly-regarded—and heavily-favoured—Columbus FC by an emphatic 3-0 margin. The home team got off to a great start and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions in the early going but a great save by Columbus’s goalkeeper Thomas Lindley—on a close-range shot by Philip Kotter—as well as Christian Tropeano’s shot off the goal post kept the score level until the 35th mark. At this point, Maarten Koorn played a wonderful ball from the halfway line to an unmarked Tropeano who proceeded to fire the ball home with an unstoppable shot for Croatia’s go-ahead goal. Late in the first half, former professional Johnny Sulentic made a fantastic run down the right wing and, after beating a couple of Columbus defenders, played a perfect pass across the goal area to an unmarked Marinko Maras who made no mistake in finishing the play with his team’s second goal. Early in the second half Tropeano scored his second goal of the match as he converted a penalty kick awarded for a foul committed against Johnny Sulentic. To their credit, the ‘Italians’ never gave up and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions but some poor finishing on their part—as well as some excellent goalkeeping by Croatia’s Didar Sandhu kept the score at 3-0 till the final whistle. In particular, at the 65th minute Steve Frazao inexplicably miskicked the ball from close range with the Croatia net wide open. Then, at about the 75th minute mark, Tiarnan King failed to convert a penalty kick awarded for a foul by Chris Craveiro on Jonathan Poli as Sandhu was able to get his feet on a ‘down-the-middle’ spot shot. Late in the match, Sandhu once again rose to the occasion as he thwarted a breakaway attempt by Steve DeBlasio with a well-timed sliding challenge. Columbus’ Frank Mollica and Jeff DeBlasio played very well in their respective left back and left midfield positions, while Croatia’s defender Kreso Vonic, goalkeeper Didar Sandhu, midfielder Johnny Sulentic, and forward Christian Tropeano, were outstanding throughout the match. The victory puts the Croatians back in contention for promotion to the BC Premier League, while Columbus’ second consecutive loss leaves the ‘Italians’ only 1 point ahead of the Croatians.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - DELTA UNITED 4-0: Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, the Firemen continued their unbeaten streak, with their 5th consecutive positive result, by beating the struggling Delta lads by an elaborate 4-0 margin. Surrey United took the early lead at the 7th minute mark when young Joseph Martin made a great run down the right flank, beat a couple of flat-footed Delta defenders, and placed an excellent low cross onto the path of newly-signed Andrew Proctor who made no mistake in scoring what proved to be the winning goal from close range. Late in the first half, Martin switched roles as he became the finisher as he converted an excellent cross from young Angus Burke—after the youngster had made a great run—into his team’s second goal. Just before the halftime whistle, Surrey goalkeeper Drew Smiley came up with a great save on a shot by Devin Greenside to preserve his team’s 2-0 halftime lead. Very early in the second half, the Firefighters added their third goal when Lucas Barrett buried the ball into the net after receiving a great pass from teammate Justin Carvery. At the 80th minute mark, Surrey United’s Rizal Ganief put the last nail in the Delta coffin as he rounded out the scoring with a blistering volley into the upper corner of the net. Near the end of the match, Drew Smiley once again rose to the occasion as he pulled off a couple of incredible saves on shots by Delta’s Shawn Blakeway and Gibson Bardsley. Despite the emphatic loss, Delta’s midfielder CJ Greenside played quite well, while Surrey’s defensive quartet—composed of Brad Petoom, Steve McAuley, Vinnie Stewart, and Stefan Leslie—performed impeccably throughout the contest. The victory elevates Surrey United into sole possession of second place, only 2 points behind league leading West Van FC, while the Delta lads drop to 8th spot as a result of their third consecutive loss.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: CROATIA SC for its amazing performance in defeating the highly-regarded Columbus FC by a clear-cut 3-0 margin. Led by the excellent play of former Whitecaps Didar Sandhu and Johnny Sulentic, as well as a 2-goal performance by Christian Tropeano, the Croatians climbed to 21 points in the standings—only 2 short of fourth place and a spot in the BC Premier League.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Croatia SC’s goalkeeper DIDAR SANDHU for his superlative performance in his team’s 3-0 victory over Columbus FC. Sandhu was rock-solid throughout the 90 minutes of play as his domination in the box made it difficult for Columbus to score. He also made a few great saves, including one on Tiarnan King’s penalty kick. For his brilliant performance, DIDAR SANDHU will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-01-28.
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- Thread starter
- #33
WEEK #16—2010-01-18
For the most part, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer this past weekend as most of the matches ended with predictable results. The one ‘mini-upset’ took place on Saturday afternoon at Cloverdale Athletic Park when the host Surrey United Firefighters edged West Van FC by a 2-1 margin and thus climbed into sole possession of first place in the VMSL Premier Division standings.
METRO-FORD WOLVES - CROATIA SC 3-0: On Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, two rather unpredictable teams faced off in a very important match. Both teams are trying desperately to qualify for the BC Premier League and, as a result, needed all 3 points to improve their chances of reaching their goal. The Croatians, after last week’s impressive 3-0 victory over Columbus FC, came flying out of the starting gate and nearly took the lead very early in the match when Daniel Rogic blasted what appeared to be an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area. Unfortunately for the Croatians, the shot rang off the crossbar, with goalkeeper Mathew Bird well beaten. After that, the first half was very evenly played with both teams taking turns attacking and defending. At about the 25th minute mark, the Wolves took the lead when veteran Emilio Bottiglieri latched onto a loose ball at the top of the penalty area and proceeded to hammer home the opening, and winning, goal. Just before the halftime whistle, former professional Johnny Sulentic nearly knotted the score as he waltzed around a couple of Metro-Ford defenders before forcing Mathew Bird into making a great save off a wicked shot. Early in the second half, Sulentic once again came close to scoring the equalizer, but once again he was denied by yet another fine save by Bird. It should be mentioned that Sulentic’s shot took a last-moment deflection, forcing Bird to make a nearly miraculous reaction save. Midway through the second half, former Whitecap Alfredo Valente set up young Jovan Blagojevic for Metro-Ford’s insurance marker with a clever pass. Blagojevic’s finish was a thing of beauty as he curled the ball into the far corner of the net, giving goalkeeper Didar Sandhu no chance whatsoever. Blagojevic added the Wolves’ third goal—and his second of the match—late in the contest, this time after being set up by Azad Palani. Metro-Ford defenders Aaron Beattie and newly-signed Anthony DiNicolo were outstanding throughout the match as they constantly thwarted the vaunted Croatian attackers. Veteran midfielders Emilio Bottiglieri and Oliver Heald also played very well for the Wolves as they controlled the middle of the park with poise and composure. Needless to say, Johnny Sulentic played extremely well for Croatia SC, while veteran Chris Craveiro once again demonstrated his enormous skills and play-making ability. The loss leaves Croatia SC at 21 points, 5 short of the coveted 4th spot, while Metro-Ford climbs into 4th place with 26 points.
DELTA UNITED - WESTSIDE FC 3-1: On Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, Delta United came out of its 3-game losing streak by defeating Westside FC by a 3-1 margin. Two very late goals sealed Westside’s fate as the match appeared to be destined to end in a tie. After an evenly-played, and scoreless, first half, the visitors took the lead at about the 55th minute mark when veteran Shawn Blakeway headed home a clever chip by Harp Khakh. The Westsiders responded in kind and found the equalizer about 10 minutes later when Jay Kent-Hume sent a glancing header into the far low corner of the net. Delta United bounced back and, led by the fine play of veteran midfielder Mike Gomes, controlled the remainder of the match. Finally, at the 88th minute mark, Mike Gomes was able to score the winning goal on a header from yet another cross by Harp Khakh. Just before the final whistle, with Westside goalkeeper Rowan Anders pushing forward in search of the equalizer, Mike Gomes took advantage of a counter-attack to score the insurance marker into an empty net from the middle of the park. Newly-signed midfielder Geoff Kosub and forward Donald Kambere made very successful debuts in the Delta lineup as they exhibited a high degree of speed and energy. However, the biggest contributors to Delta’s victory were veteran defenders Brian Fowler, Brian Gebbie, and Steve Millar as they shut down the young and energetic Westside forwards throughout the contest. Westside’s defenders Brian Reems and Chris Mehuys also played very well, while midfielder Keyhan Kaveh worked tirelessly for the entire 90 minutes, albeit in a losing cause. As a result of the victory, Delta United’s chances of qualifying for the BC Premier League remain alive, while Westside FC remains near the bottom of the table with a mediocre 4-4-8 record.
ICSF INTER - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 1-0: The second Saturday game was played at Minaru Park in Richmond between the visiting ICSF Inter and the hosting Hibernians. After a well-played 90 minutes of non-stop action, the ‘Italians’ walked away with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over the luckless Richmond lads. Inter had most of the play in the early going and created several goalscoring opportunities, all of which went awry. Specifically, Paul Bolina, Alex Marrello, and Tino Cucca came close to scoring but all 3 of them missed glorious chances to give their team the well-deserved lead. Cucca’s chance was by far the most clear-cut as the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader watched agonizingly as his open-net shot was cleared off the line by Richmond defender Stu Walters. On the other hand, Bolina’s effort, on a clear-cut breakway, was brilliantly saved by Richmond goalkeeper Matt Clayton. Clayton’s and Walters’ remarkable saves seemed to serve as a wake-up call for the Hibs as they took over the reins of the match for the remainder of the first half. The home team came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, both on efforts by striker Reynold Stewart. On the first, Stewart took advantage of a great passing play, involving Alan Chivers and Erik Olson, and unleashed what appeared to be an unstoppable shot that was miraculously saved by goalkeeper Erman Ozkan. Minutes later, Stewart attacked down the left flank, beat a couple of Inter defenders along the goal line and beat Ozkan with a clever near-post shot only to have the ball bounce off the post and trickle along the goal line. The second half continued to be a chess match, similar to the first, with both teams attacking and defending well. At about the 70th minute mark, Inter’s Paul Bolina was fouled at the edge of the penalty area by goalkeeper Matt Clayton, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to the visitors. Tino Cucca stepped up to the plate and scored his 13th goal of the season, and his team’s winning goal of the match. Shortly thereafter, Inter came close to doubling its lead when Adam Wallace bounced a wicked shot off the post with Clayton well-beaten. The Hibernians, however, refused to give up and attacked furiously for the remainder of the contest in search of the equalizer. They came very close in doing so on a few occasions but some bad luck—coupled with some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Erman Ozkan—kept the scoreline at 1-0 till the final whistle. In particular, a blast by Masumi Turnbull—after a brilliant passing play involving Peter Chivers and Owen Sinclair—bounced off the post with Ozkan well beaten. The final opportunity for Richmond to tie the game came just at the stroke of full time when Owen Sinclair’s excellent chip shot—on a set-up by Alan Chivers and Masumi Turnbull—was once again brilliantly saved by Ozkan. All in all, a very entertaining game played between two very competitive teams!
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - WEST VAN FC 2-1: The third, and final, Saturday game was played in front of a large crowd at Cloverdale Athletic Park and featured the two top teams in the Premier Division: the Surrey United Firefighters and the defending champions West Van FC. At the end of the 90 minutes of exciting action, the Firemen walked away with a hard-fought victory, their 6th consecutive positive result and, as a result, sole possession of first place. The former Trollers got off to a great start and generated several gilt-edged chances in the first 25 minutes, only to be repeatedly thwarted by Drew Smiley, Surrey United’s veteran goalkeeper. Notably, Smiley made point-blank saves on shots by Alan McIndoe, Justin Thompson, and Paul Dailly. Veteran Mike Dodd also came very close to scoring for the league leaders but inexplicably missed the wide open net from close range. The Firefighters, after absorbing West Van’s initial pressure, responded positively and used their youth and pace to effectively stretch the visitors’ backline and dominate the remainder of the first half. Not surprisingly, at about the 35th minute mark, Surrey United took the lead on a goal by young Angus Burke as he was set up by another youngster, Brad Petoon. The second half was more or less a carbon copy of the first as West Van applied a lot of early pressure, but the Firefighters stormed back near the end. At the 65th minute mark, Omari Aldridge knotted the score as he converted a Corey Birza set-up for West Van’s only goal of the match. Shortly thereafter, Surrey United scored the winning goal on a counter-attack as Lucas Barrett sent Rizal Ganief flying down the right flank with a great through ball. Ganief’s shot was somewhat mishandled by goalkeeper Marco Durante and, much to the chagrin of the entire West Van clan, ended up in the back of the net. The former Trollers pressed hard for the equalizer and came close to knotting the score on efforts by Trevor Short and former Whitecap Justin Thompson but the Firemen held on for the victory. As mentioned earlier, Surrey United is now all alone in first place, one point ahead of West Van FC.
COLUMBUS FC - NORVAN PACIFIC 3-1: On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, Columbus FC bounced back from 2 straight losses to defeat the last place Norvan Pacific by a 3-1 margin. The first half saw both teams taking turns defending, attacking, and creating some excellent goalscoring chances. Columbus’ Tiarnan King and Steve Kindel—in his first game of the season after returning from professional duties—had their excellent shots saved by young goalkeeper Lucas Menz, while at the other end of the pitch Blake Burgon and Kyle Thompson narrowly missed the mark with shots that seemed destined for the back of the net. Near the end of the first half, Columbus’ captain—Steve DeBlasio—played a square ball to Tiarnan King at the top of the box. King was able to create enough room for himself and slipped a clever toe punt into the back of the net for the all-important go-ahead goal. In the second half, Columbus took over the reins of the match and missed several glorious scoring chances before Steve DeBlasio took matters into his own hands and scored what proved to be the winning goal with a long-range blast that found the top corner of the Norvan net. At about the 75th minute mark, DeBlasio added his second goal of the contest in a rather fortuitous manner as his cross was redirected into the back of the net by a Norvan defender. To their credit, the Norvan youngsters never gave up and actually created a couple of goalscoring opportunities of their own. On one occasion, Scott Howey was able to convert a nifty set piece by Nathan Harte only to have the goal disallowed due an offside infraction. Then, Kyle Thompson’s blazing shot was saved brilliantly by goalkeeper Thomas Lindley to keep the visitors off the scoresheet. Finally, at the 90th minute mark, the Norvan hard work paid off when a Tony Seddon throw-in was redirected into the back of the net by Nathan Harte. Defensively, Lavere Corbin-Org played extremely well for the former Eagles, while Columbus’ Steve DeBlasio was dominant during the entire contest, both in a forward and midfield role. The victory keeps Columbus’ chances of qualifying for the BC Premier League alive, while Norvan’s 6th straight loss keeps the youngster mired in last place.
ICST PEGASUS - SAPPERTON ROVERS 4-2: Also on Sunday, at Mercer Stadium in New Westminster, ICST Pegasus won their third game in a row by defeating the Sapperton Rovers by a 4-2 margin. Pegasus came out of the starting blocks with a vengeance and had at least 4 clear-cut chances in the early part of the match but some superlative goalkeeping on the part of Garth Lagasse kept the visitors off the scoreboard for the entire first half. Right off the opening whistle, Meysam Soltani surprisingly missed the net as he raced in on goal on a breakaway. Shortly thereafter, Lagasse made a phenomenal save on a Ryan Powell shot which subsequently bounced off the crossbar. Then, it was Nico Marcina’s turn to miss the net from point-blank range. Finally, after David Samra had been hauled down by veteran Ted Ullrich, Lagasse pulled off yet another incredible save on Chetan Jhooty’s penalty kick. To add insult to Pegasus’ injury, it was Sapperton that scored the first goal of the game late in the first half as Jason Pierotti took advantage of some poor communication between Pegasus’ goalkeeper Andy Singh and defender Andrew Reed and cleverly chipped the ball into the back of the net from well outside the penalty area. Pegasus recovered admirably in the second half and the flood gates finally opened up in the second half as the Meysam Soltani show began! First, the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD candidate calmly converted a penalty kick which was awarded when Soltani himself had been brought down—once again by Ted Ullrich—inside the penalty area. Then, Soltani scored his second goal on a great individual effort, using his skill and strength to hold off several Sapperton defenders before slotting the ball home for the go-ahead goal. Soltani then completed his hat-trick by neatly deflecting a powerful long-range strike by David Samra. The Rovers narrowed the margin to 3-2 with about 10 minutes remaining in the match when a Reyhan Ismail free kick eluded several Pegasus defenders, as well as the goalkeeper, before finding the back of the net. Pegasus promptly went back down the pitch and added a fourth goal as Goldie Takhar calmly stroked the ball home after a goal-mouth scramble. Veteran Pegasus defender Lavy Mangat was a tower of strength throughout the contest, while David Samra was a going concern on the right flank as he drove the Sapperton defenders to distraction with his pace and skill. Young Sapperton defenders Brayden Volkanent and Rhys Volkanent turned in solid performances, while wingers Reyhan Ismail and Sidd Achutan also played very well in a losing cause. The victory solidifies Pegasus’ hold on third place in the Premier Division table, while the Rovers remain in penultimate place with only 11 points out of 15 games.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS for their excellent effort in defeating the defending champions—West Van FC—by a 2-1 margin and thus laying claim to first place. Led by the excellent performances of veteran goalkeeper Drew Smiley, young Brad Petoon, and veteran defender Steve McAuley, the Firemen climbed to 31 points in the standings—one ahead of the triple champions, West Van FC.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ICST Pegasus’ forward MEYSAM SOLTANI for his amazing 3-goal performance in his team’s 4-2 victory over the Sapperton Rovers. This is the second time that Soltani has scored multiple goals against the Rovers as he netted 4 in their first encounter at Newton Athletic Park. The hat-trick places Soltani only one goal behind Inter’s Tino Cucca in the race for the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD. For his brilliant performance, MEYSAM SOLTANI will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-02-04.
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For the most part, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer this past weekend as most of the matches ended with predictable results. The one ‘mini-upset’ took place on Saturday afternoon at Cloverdale Athletic Park when the host Surrey United Firefighters edged West Van FC by a 2-1 margin and thus climbed into sole possession of first place in the VMSL Premier Division standings.
METRO-FORD WOLVES - CROATIA SC 3-0: On Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, two rather unpredictable teams faced off in a very important match. Both teams are trying desperately to qualify for the BC Premier League and, as a result, needed all 3 points to improve their chances of reaching their goal. The Croatians, after last week’s impressive 3-0 victory over Columbus FC, came flying out of the starting gate and nearly took the lead very early in the match when Daniel Rogic blasted what appeared to be an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area. Unfortunately for the Croatians, the shot rang off the crossbar, with goalkeeper Mathew Bird well beaten. After that, the first half was very evenly played with both teams taking turns attacking and defending. At about the 25th minute mark, the Wolves took the lead when veteran Emilio Bottiglieri latched onto a loose ball at the top of the penalty area and proceeded to hammer home the opening, and winning, goal. Just before the halftime whistle, former professional Johnny Sulentic nearly knotted the score as he waltzed around a couple of Metro-Ford defenders before forcing Mathew Bird into making a great save off a wicked shot. Early in the second half, Sulentic once again came close to scoring the equalizer, but once again he was denied by yet another fine save by Bird. It should be mentioned that Sulentic’s shot took a last-moment deflection, forcing Bird to make a nearly miraculous reaction save. Midway through the second half, former Whitecap Alfredo Valente set up young Jovan Blagojevic for Metro-Ford’s insurance marker with a clever pass. Blagojevic’s finish was a thing of beauty as he curled the ball into the far corner of the net, giving goalkeeper Didar Sandhu no chance whatsoever. Blagojevic added the Wolves’ third goal—and his second of the match—late in the contest, this time after being set up by Azad Palani. Metro-Ford defenders Aaron Beattie and newly-signed Anthony DiNicolo were outstanding throughout the match as they constantly thwarted the vaunted Croatian attackers. Veteran midfielders Emilio Bottiglieri and Oliver Heald also played very well for the Wolves as they controlled the middle of the park with poise and composure. Needless to say, Johnny Sulentic played extremely well for Croatia SC, while veteran Chris Craveiro once again demonstrated his enormous skills and play-making ability. The loss leaves Croatia SC at 21 points, 5 short of the coveted 4th spot, while Metro-Ford climbs into 4th place with 26 points.
DELTA UNITED - WESTSIDE FC 3-1: On Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, Delta United came out of its 3-game losing streak by defeating Westside FC by a 3-1 margin. Two very late goals sealed Westside’s fate as the match appeared to be destined to end in a tie. After an evenly-played, and scoreless, first half, the visitors took the lead at about the 55th minute mark when veteran Shawn Blakeway headed home a clever chip by Harp Khakh. The Westsiders responded in kind and found the equalizer about 10 minutes later when Jay Kent-Hume sent a glancing header into the far low corner of the net. Delta United bounced back and, led by the fine play of veteran midfielder Mike Gomes, controlled the remainder of the match. Finally, at the 88th minute mark, Mike Gomes was able to score the winning goal on a header from yet another cross by Harp Khakh. Just before the final whistle, with Westside goalkeeper Rowan Anders pushing forward in search of the equalizer, Mike Gomes took advantage of a counter-attack to score the insurance marker into an empty net from the middle of the park. Newly-signed midfielder Geoff Kosub and forward Donald Kambere made very successful debuts in the Delta lineup as they exhibited a high degree of speed and energy. However, the biggest contributors to Delta’s victory were veteran defenders Brian Fowler, Brian Gebbie, and Steve Millar as they shut down the young and energetic Westside forwards throughout the contest. Westside’s defenders Brian Reems and Chris Mehuys also played very well, while midfielder Keyhan Kaveh worked tirelessly for the entire 90 minutes, albeit in a losing cause. As a result of the victory, Delta United’s chances of qualifying for the BC Premier League remain alive, while Westside FC remains near the bottom of the table with a mediocre 4-4-8 record.
ICSF INTER - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 1-0: The second Saturday game was played at Minaru Park in Richmond between the visiting ICSF Inter and the hosting Hibernians. After a well-played 90 minutes of non-stop action, the ‘Italians’ walked away with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over the luckless Richmond lads. Inter had most of the play in the early going and created several goalscoring opportunities, all of which went awry. Specifically, Paul Bolina, Alex Marrello, and Tino Cucca came close to scoring but all 3 of them missed glorious chances to give their team the well-deserved lead. Cucca’s chance was by far the most clear-cut as the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader watched agonizingly as his open-net shot was cleared off the line by Richmond defender Stu Walters. On the other hand, Bolina’s effort, on a clear-cut breakway, was brilliantly saved by Richmond goalkeeper Matt Clayton. Clayton’s and Walters’ remarkable saves seemed to serve as a wake-up call for the Hibs as they took over the reins of the match for the remainder of the first half. The home team came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, both on efforts by striker Reynold Stewart. On the first, Stewart took advantage of a great passing play, involving Alan Chivers and Erik Olson, and unleashed what appeared to be an unstoppable shot that was miraculously saved by goalkeeper Erman Ozkan. Minutes later, Stewart attacked down the left flank, beat a couple of Inter defenders along the goal line and beat Ozkan with a clever near-post shot only to have the ball bounce off the post and trickle along the goal line. The second half continued to be a chess match, similar to the first, with both teams attacking and defending well. At about the 70th minute mark, Inter’s Paul Bolina was fouled at the edge of the penalty area by goalkeeper Matt Clayton, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to the visitors. Tino Cucca stepped up to the plate and scored his 13th goal of the season, and his team’s winning goal of the match. Shortly thereafter, Inter came close to doubling its lead when Adam Wallace bounced a wicked shot off the post with Clayton well-beaten. The Hibernians, however, refused to give up and attacked furiously for the remainder of the contest in search of the equalizer. They came very close in doing so on a few occasions but some bad luck—coupled with some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Erman Ozkan—kept the scoreline at 1-0 till the final whistle. In particular, a blast by Masumi Turnbull—after a brilliant passing play involving Peter Chivers and Owen Sinclair—bounced off the post with Ozkan well beaten. The final opportunity for Richmond to tie the game came just at the stroke of full time when Owen Sinclair’s excellent chip shot—on a set-up by Alan Chivers and Masumi Turnbull—was once again brilliantly saved by Ozkan. All in all, a very entertaining game played between two very competitive teams!
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - WEST VAN FC 2-1: The third, and final, Saturday game was played in front of a large crowd at Cloverdale Athletic Park and featured the two top teams in the Premier Division: the Surrey United Firefighters and the defending champions West Van FC. At the end of the 90 minutes of exciting action, the Firemen walked away with a hard-fought victory, their 6th consecutive positive result and, as a result, sole possession of first place. The former Trollers got off to a great start and generated several gilt-edged chances in the first 25 minutes, only to be repeatedly thwarted by Drew Smiley, Surrey United’s veteran goalkeeper. Notably, Smiley made point-blank saves on shots by Alan McIndoe, Justin Thompson, and Paul Dailly. Veteran Mike Dodd also came very close to scoring for the league leaders but inexplicably missed the wide open net from close range. The Firefighters, after absorbing West Van’s initial pressure, responded positively and used their youth and pace to effectively stretch the visitors’ backline and dominate the remainder of the first half. Not surprisingly, at about the 35th minute mark, Surrey United took the lead on a goal by young Angus Burke as he was set up by another youngster, Brad Petoon. The second half was more or less a carbon copy of the first as West Van applied a lot of early pressure, but the Firefighters stormed back near the end. At the 65th minute mark, Omari Aldridge knotted the score as he converted a Corey Birza set-up for West Van’s only goal of the match. Shortly thereafter, Surrey United scored the winning goal on a counter-attack as Lucas Barrett sent Rizal Ganief flying down the right flank with a great through ball. Ganief’s shot was somewhat mishandled by goalkeeper Marco Durante and, much to the chagrin of the entire West Van clan, ended up in the back of the net. The former Trollers pressed hard for the equalizer and came close to knotting the score on efforts by Trevor Short and former Whitecap Justin Thompson but the Firemen held on for the victory. As mentioned earlier, Surrey United is now all alone in first place, one point ahead of West Van FC.
COLUMBUS FC - NORVAN PACIFIC 3-1: On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, Columbus FC bounced back from 2 straight losses to defeat the last place Norvan Pacific by a 3-1 margin. The first half saw both teams taking turns defending, attacking, and creating some excellent goalscoring chances. Columbus’ Tiarnan King and Steve Kindel—in his first game of the season after returning from professional duties—had their excellent shots saved by young goalkeeper Lucas Menz, while at the other end of the pitch Blake Burgon and Kyle Thompson narrowly missed the mark with shots that seemed destined for the back of the net. Near the end of the first half, Columbus’ captain—Steve DeBlasio—played a square ball to Tiarnan King at the top of the box. King was able to create enough room for himself and slipped a clever toe punt into the back of the net for the all-important go-ahead goal. In the second half, Columbus took over the reins of the match and missed several glorious scoring chances before Steve DeBlasio took matters into his own hands and scored what proved to be the winning goal with a long-range blast that found the top corner of the Norvan net. At about the 75th minute mark, DeBlasio added his second goal of the contest in a rather fortuitous manner as his cross was redirected into the back of the net by a Norvan defender. To their credit, the Norvan youngsters never gave up and actually created a couple of goalscoring opportunities of their own. On one occasion, Scott Howey was able to convert a nifty set piece by Nathan Harte only to have the goal disallowed due an offside infraction. Then, Kyle Thompson’s blazing shot was saved brilliantly by goalkeeper Thomas Lindley to keep the visitors off the scoresheet. Finally, at the 90th minute mark, the Norvan hard work paid off when a Tony Seddon throw-in was redirected into the back of the net by Nathan Harte. Defensively, Lavere Corbin-Org played extremely well for the former Eagles, while Columbus’ Steve DeBlasio was dominant during the entire contest, both in a forward and midfield role. The victory keeps Columbus’ chances of qualifying for the BC Premier League alive, while Norvan’s 6th straight loss keeps the youngster mired in last place.
ICST PEGASUS - SAPPERTON ROVERS 4-2: Also on Sunday, at Mercer Stadium in New Westminster, ICST Pegasus won their third game in a row by defeating the Sapperton Rovers by a 4-2 margin. Pegasus came out of the starting blocks with a vengeance and had at least 4 clear-cut chances in the early part of the match but some superlative goalkeeping on the part of Garth Lagasse kept the visitors off the scoreboard for the entire first half. Right off the opening whistle, Meysam Soltani surprisingly missed the net as he raced in on goal on a breakaway. Shortly thereafter, Lagasse made a phenomenal save on a Ryan Powell shot which subsequently bounced off the crossbar. Then, it was Nico Marcina’s turn to miss the net from point-blank range. Finally, after David Samra had been hauled down by veteran Ted Ullrich, Lagasse pulled off yet another incredible save on Chetan Jhooty’s penalty kick. To add insult to Pegasus’ injury, it was Sapperton that scored the first goal of the game late in the first half as Jason Pierotti took advantage of some poor communication between Pegasus’ goalkeeper Andy Singh and defender Andrew Reed and cleverly chipped the ball into the back of the net from well outside the penalty area. Pegasus recovered admirably in the second half and the flood gates finally opened up in the second half as the Meysam Soltani show began! First, the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD candidate calmly converted a penalty kick which was awarded when Soltani himself had been brought down—once again by Ted Ullrich—inside the penalty area. Then, Soltani scored his second goal on a great individual effort, using his skill and strength to hold off several Sapperton defenders before slotting the ball home for the go-ahead goal. Soltani then completed his hat-trick by neatly deflecting a powerful long-range strike by David Samra. The Rovers narrowed the margin to 3-2 with about 10 minutes remaining in the match when a Reyhan Ismail free kick eluded several Pegasus defenders, as well as the goalkeeper, before finding the back of the net. Pegasus promptly went back down the pitch and added a fourth goal as Goldie Takhar calmly stroked the ball home after a goal-mouth scramble. Veteran Pegasus defender Lavy Mangat was a tower of strength throughout the contest, while David Samra was a going concern on the right flank as he drove the Sapperton defenders to distraction with his pace and skill. Young Sapperton defenders Brayden Volkanent and Rhys Volkanent turned in solid performances, while wingers Reyhan Ismail and Sidd Achutan also played very well in a losing cause. The victory solidifies Pegasus’ hold on third place in the Premier Division table, while the Rovers remain in penultimate place with only 11 points out of 15 games.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS for their excellent effort in defeating the defending champions—West Van FC—by a 2-1 margin and thus laying claim to first place. Led by the excellent performances of veteran goalkeeper Drew Smiley, young Brad Petoon, and veteran defender Steve McAuley, the Firemen climbed to 31 points in the standings—one ahead of the triple champions, West Van FC.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ICST Pegasus’ forward MEYSAM SOLTANI for his amazing 3-goal performance in his team’s 4-2 victory over the Sapperton Rovers. This is the second time that Soltani has scored multiple goals against the Rovers as he netted 4 in their first encounter at Newton Athletic Park. The hat-trick places Soltani only one goal behind Inter’s Tino Cucca in the race for the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD. For his brilliant performance, MEYSAM SOLTANI will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-02-04.
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- Thread starter
- #34
WEEK #17—2010-01-25
West Van FC climbed back into sole possession of first place by narrowly defeating the visiting Westside FC by a 1-0 margin, while the Surrey United Firefighters were held to a 2-2 tie by the Richmond FC Hibernians. Two contenders for promotion to the BC Premier League—ICSF Inter and ICST Pegasus—had to settle for a 1-1 tie after a very well-played and highly-competitive 90 minutes of non-stop action. At the bottom of the table, the Sapperton Rovers and Norvan Pacific continued their losing streaks and thus remained in danger of being relegated to the first division.
WEST VAN FC - WESTSIDE FC 1-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the defending triple champions—West Van FC—narrowly defeated the visiting Westsiders by a 1-0 margin. Once again, the visitors employed their defensive and counter-attacking tactics and, as a result, the final score remained respectable. The former Trollers came close to scoring on a couple of occasions in the first half, but the woodwork got in the way on shots by Robbie Giezen and former Whitecap Justin Thompson. .Early in the second half, Westside FC—on yet another counter-attack—came close to taking the lead when midfielder Brian Reems was stymied by goalkeeper Nick Boyd as he flew in on goal on a clear-cut breakaway. Shortly thereafter, at the other end of the pitch, second-half substitute Sean Taylor had his brilliantly-executed bicycle kick saved by Westside’s goalkeeper Rowan Anders. Westside responded in kind and came close to taking the lead when front runner Peter Bow managed to dribble around a few West Van defenders only to see his well-struck, low shot miss the far post by inches. Ten minutes later, Taylor finally got the winning goal as he darted across the top of the box, beat a couple of Westside defenders, and celebrated his birthday by blasting a shot into the top right-hand corner of the net! The Westside backline—composed of Graeme Webber, Cam Kochorek, Frank Glassen, and particularly Sam Wallace—played extremely well throughout the match while young forward Peter Bow was dangerous on the limited Westside counter-attacks. The insertion of veteran Mike Dodd and young Sean Taylor in the second half paid enormous dividends for the home team, while Tim Perry also played very well in his central midfield role. As mentioned earlier, the victory—coupled with Surrey United’s tie—elevates West Van FC back into first place, albeit only one point ahead of of their main rivals.
ICST PEGASUS - ICSF INTER 1-1: Also on Friday evening, in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd at Newton Athletic Park, two aspiring teams met in a very important match. One of the four spots in next season’s BC Premier League was a stake and, as a result, both teams desperately needed all 3 points. As luck would have it, however, the game ended in a 1-1 tie, a fair—but disappointing—result for both teams. The match was extremely well-played and very entertaining, with chances at both ends of the pitch. Pegasus took the lead at about the 15th minute mark when a cross/shot by David Samra was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Erman Ozkan. Unfortunately for Ozkan—and the rest of the Inter crew—the ball fell onto the path of Meysam Soltani who proceeded to score the easiest of his 13 goals during the current season. The second half was more of less a repeat of the first as, once again, both teams took turns defending, attacking, and creating numerous goal-scoring opportunities. ICSF Inter knotted the score 10 minutes into the second half when newly-signed Farhad Abdulgani took advantage of a defensive blunder and played a perfect pass to a streaking Paul Bolina who, without a moment’s hesitation, set up a wide-open Tino Cucca who had no trouble whatsoever in converting the pass into the tying goal. It should be mentioned that this was Cucca’s 14th goal of the season, as he retained his narrow lead in the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD race. Shortly thereafter, Abdulgani once again beat several defenders but had his shot saved by Pegasus goalkeeper, Andy Singh. Pegasus responded in kind and came very close to taking the lead but newly-signed Sahil Sandhu watched agonizingly as his glancing header barely went over the bar. At the other end of the pitch, Sheldon Maistry’s header also just went wide of the net. In the dying moments, Pegasus almost claimed all 3 points but Chetan Jhooty’s shot was miraculously cleared off the line by Inter’s goalkeeper Erman Ozkan. All in all, a very exciting match played between two very competitive teams! The Pegasus backline—in particular Paul Bahia and Carlos Dhaliwal—was rorck-solid during the entire game, while defender Nick Seddon—as well as midfielders Mike Tempesta and Farhad Abdulgani—were standouts in the Inter line-up.
METRO-FORD WOLVES - NORVAN PACIFIC 2-0: On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, the Wolves remained in contention for a spot in the BC Premier League by defeating the young and inexperienced Norvan Pacific by a 2-0 margin. The first half belonged entirely to the visitors as the Norvan lads appeared confused and perplexed by the excellent midfield performances of veterans Oliver Heald and Emilio Bottiglieri. Very early in the match, another couple of Metro-Ford veterans—Joe Scigliano and Alfredo Valente—combined to give the visitors the lead as Valente finished off a neat pass by Scigliano into what proved to be the winning goal. About 10 minutes later, Valente added his second goal of the match as he capitalized on a great pass by young Anthony DiNicolo by cleverly tucking the ball under Norvan’s goalkeeper, Steve London. The former Eagles bounced back in the second half and created a few chances of their own. In particular, Matt Hartwell was unable to convert a glorious opportunity which arose when goalkeeper Mat Bird fumbled a shot by Norvan’s Blake Burgon. Another Pacific youngster, Kyle Thompson was also unlucky on a couple of occasions as his shots barely missed the net. At the other end of the pitch, Steve London had to come up with a few brilliant saves—the best ones on a great shots by Oliver Heald and Azad Palani—to keep the scoreline respectable. Very late in the match, Metro-Ford’s Chris Jarvie had London beaten with his clever shot but painfully watched the ball bounce off both posts before being cleared out of danger. Metro-Ford’s central defenders—Brook Scott and Kingsley Jones—were once again towers of strength throughout the contest, while Norvan’s defender Lavere Corbin-Org and goalkeeper Steve London turned in superlative performances in a losing cause. The victory improves the third-place Wolves’ record to 8-5-3, while Norvan’s 8th consecutive loss leaves them mired in last place with little hope of avoiding relegation to Division 1.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 2-2: The second Saturday match was played at Cloverdale Athletic Park and featured the league-leading Firemen and the visiting Hibernians. Much to Surrey United’s chagrin, the visitors managed to eke out a draw and thus send the heavy favourites back into second place in the Premier Division table. The Hibs came flying out of the starting gate, dominated the first part of the match, and deservedly took the lead at around the 20th minute mark as a result of a brilliant 3-way passing play involving Jeff Potratz, Alan Chivers, and Peter Chivers. In fact, after Surrey goalkeeper Drew Smiley had made a great save on Peter Chivers’ shot, Richmond’s Masumi Turnbull picked up the rebound and smashed the ball home for the all-important opening goal. Turnbull’s goal seemed to be the wake-up call that the Firefighters needed as they bounced back with grit and determination and quickly knotted the score when Angus Burke finished off a well-executed pass from teammate Stephan Leslie. In the second half, both teams took turns attacking and defending but it was Richmond FC that took the lead at around the 60th minute mark, once again on a close-range shot by Masumi Turnbull. On this occasion, Reynold Stewart picked up a loose ball in the middle of the park and sent Alan Chivers down the right flank with an impeccable pass. Chivers then proceeded to deliver a perfect, low cross into the Surrey goal area, a cross that was hammered home by Turnbull for Richmond’s second goal. Once again, Surrey United responded quickly and scored the final equalizer about 6 minutes later when Brad Petoom sent Angus Burke on a breakaway with an exquisite pass. Burke then proceeded to score his second goal of the match in a calm and composed manner. At this point, the Firemen took over the reins of the match and applied enormous pressure on the Richmond defensive unit in a desperate effort to gain the all-important 3 points. However, some rock solid defending by Stu Walters, as well as some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Matt Clayton kept the score at 2-2 till the final whistle. It should be noted that both teams came very close to scoring what would have been the winning goal in the late stages of the match as Surrey’s Rizal Ganief hit the goal post while Richmond’s Tom Brook lobbed the ball over the crossbar, both with the opposing goalkeeper well-beaten. As mentioned earlier, the single point drops Surrey United back to second place, while the Hibernians remain in 9th place with only 18 points.
CROATIA SC - SAPPERTON ROVERS 4-1: On Sunday, at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver, the Croatians bounced back from last week’s embarrassing 3-0 loss at the hands of the Metro-Ford Wolves by destroying the struggling Sapperton Rovers by a 4-1 margin. Croatia SC dominated the entire first half and took a well-deserved 3-0 lead into the dressing room. Very early in the match, Chris Craveiro’s near post run on a Johnny Sulentic corner kick resulted in the first goal as Craveiro’s glancing header amazingly found the back of the net past a bewildered Sapperton defensive unit. Soon thereafter, Sulentic added insult to Sapperton’s injury by scoring what proved to be the winning goal when a perfectly-played through-ball by Gustavo Argueta sent him on a breakaway. In his usual skillful and composed manner, Sulentic made no mistake in slotting the ball behind Sapperton’s goalkeeper Garth Lagasse. Midway through the first half, Sulentic scored again, this time as he took advantage of a defensive Sapperton blunder as he blocked Lagasse’s attempted clearance before depositing the ball into the back of the net. Midway through the second half, Marinko Maras made a speedy run down the left flank, beat a couple of Sapperton defenders, and played an immaculate low cross to Chris Craveiro who easily slotted the ball home for his second goal of the contest. Soon thereafter, Sapperton’s Jason Pierotti hammered home a close-range shot after having beaten a couple of Croatia’s defenders along the goal line. Despite the loss, the Rovers’ Reyhan Ismail and Danny Caraiman played very well in the midfield, while defender Sven Wagner and forward Brandon Steblin worked tirelessly throughout the match. Needless to say, Johnny Sulentic and Chris Craveiro turned in excellent performances for the Croatians, while midfielder Shawn Parkes and defender Kreso Vonic also played remarkably well. The victory maintains Croatia’s hopes of qualifying for the BC Premier League alive, while Sapperton’s 3rd consecutive loss keeps the Rovers mired in penultimate place, only 3 points ahead of Norvan.
DELTA UNITED - COLUMBUS FC 0-0: Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, two teams with high expectations met in a crucial match. Unfortunately for both teams, the 0-0 draw—and the resulting single point—does not help them a great deal in their quest to gain promotion to next season’s BC Premier League. Even though Columbus had the majority of the ball possession, it must be said that both teams had various goalscoring opportunities. Early in the match, newly-transferred Donald Kambere sent a very dangerous cross into the Columbus goal area, just out of the reach of target man Shawn Blakeway. Soon thereafter, Kambere had a couple of other goalscoring opportunities go awry as he had his shots blocked by Columbus defenders. Near the end of the first half, Delta’s Mark Gomes and Harpreet Khakh both sent their long-range strikes over the crossbar. In the second half, it was Columbus that had the best goalscoring chances as Tiarnan King, Steve DeBlasio, and newly-signed Kaz Kikuchi were all thwarted by Delta goalkeeper Brian Brum. Columbus’ defenders Jonathan Poli and Robbie Cairns were rock-solid throughout the match while Steve Kindel controlled the midfield for the entire 90 minutes of play. Delta’s defensive unit—composed of Devon Greenside, Steve Millar, Brian Fowler, and Mike Gomes—also played extremely well. The result leaves Columbus in a 5th place tie with ICSF Inter, only one point out of 4th place, while Delta United is now in 7th place, 4 points out of the promotion zone.
TEAMS OF THE WEEK: ICST PEGASUS and ICSF INTER for their brilliant performances in their match played on Friday evening at Newton Athletic Park. Both teams played extremely well in their determined effort to gain all 3 points. However, they both had to settle for a disappointing 1-1 draw, a result that does not help either team. It should be mentioned that the goals were scored by the two top goalscorers in the Premier Division, Inter’s Tino Cucca and Pegasus’ Meysam Soltani.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Croatia SC’s midfielder CHRIS CRAVEIRO for his brilliant performance in his team’s 4-1 victory over the Sapperton Rovers. Not only did Craveiro control the middle of the park with his immense skill and precise ball distribution, but he also scored two vital goals in his team’s all-important victory. For his excellent performance, CHRIS CRAVEIRO will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-02-11.
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West Van FC climbed back into sole possession of first place by narrowly defeating the visiting Westside FC by a 1-0 margin, while the Surrey United Firefighters were held to a 2-2 tie by the Richmond FC Hibernians. Two contenders for promotion to the BC Premier League—ICSF Inter and ICST Pegasus—had to settle for a 1-1 tie after a very well-played and highly-competitive 90 minutes of non-stop action. At the bottom of the table, the Sapperton Rovers and Norvan Pacific continued their losing streaks and thus remained in danger of being relegated to the first division.
WEST VAN FC - WESTSIDE FC 1-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the defending triple champions—West Van FC—narrowly defeated the visiting Westsiders by a 1-0 margin. Once again, the visitors employed their defensive and counter-attacking tactics and, as a result, the final score remained respectable. The former Trollers came close to scoring on a couple of occasions in the first half, but the woodwork got in the way on shots by Robbie Giezen and former Whitecap Justin Thompson. .Early in the second half, Westside FC—on yet another counter-attack—came close to taking the lead when midfielder Brian Reems was stymied by goalkeeper Nick Boyd as he flew in on goal on a clear-cut breakaway. Shortly thereafter, at the other end of the pitch, second-half substitute Sean Taylor had his brilliantly-executed bicycle kick saved by Westside’s goalkeeper Rowan Anders. Westside responded in kind and came close to taking the lead when front runner Peter Bow managed to dribble around a few West Van defenders only to see his well-struck, low shot miss the far post by inches. Ten minutes later, Taylor finally got the winning goal as he darted across the top of the box, beat a couple of Westside defenders, and celebrated his birthday by blasting a shot into the top right-hand corner of the net! The Westside backline—composed of Graeme Webber, Cam Kochorek, Frank Glassen, and particularly Sam Wallace—played extremely well throughout the match while young forward Peter Bow was dangerous on the limited Westside counter-attacks. The insertion of veteran Mike Dodd and young Sean Taylor in the second half paid enormous dividends for the home team, while Tim Perry also played very well in his central midfield role. As mentioned earlier, the victory—coupled with Surrey United’s tie—elevates West Van FC back into first place, albeit only one point ahead of of their main rivals.
ICST PEGASUS - ICSF INTER 1-1: Also on Friday evening, in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd at Newton Athletic Park, two aspiring teams met in a very important match. One of the four spots in next season’s BC Premier League was a stake and, as a result, both teams desperately needed all 3 points. As luck would have it, however, the game ended in a 1-1 tie, a fair—but disappointing—result for both teams. The match was extremely well-played and very entertaining, with chances at both ends of the pitch. Pegasus took the lead at about the 15th minute mark when a cross/shot by David Samra was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Erman Ozkan. Unfortunately for Ozkan—and the rest of the Inter crew—the ball fell onto the path of Meysam Soltani who proceeded to score the easiest of his 13 goals during the current season. The second half was more of less a repeat of the first as, once again, both teams took turns defending, attacking, and creating numerous goal-scoring opportunities. ICSF Inter knotted the score 10 minutes into the second half when newly-signed Farhad Abdulgani took advantage of a defensive blunder and played a perfect pass to a streaking Paul Bolina who, without a moment’s hesitation, set up a wide-open Tino Cucca who had no trouble whatsoever in converting the pass into the tying goal. It should be mentioned that this was Cucca’s 14th goal of the season, as he retained his narrow lead in the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD race. Shortly thereafter, Abdulgani once again beat several defenders but had his shot saved by Pegasus goalkeeper, Andy Singh. Pegasus responded in kind and came very close to taking the lead but newly-signed Sahil Sandhu watched agonizingly as his glancing header barely went over the bar. At the other end of the pitch, Sheldon Maistry’s header also just went wide of the net. In the dying moments, Pegasus almost claimed all 3 points but Chetan Jhooty’s shot was miraculously cleared off the line by Inter’s goalkeeper Erman Ozkan. All in all, a very exciting match played between two very competitive teams! The Pegasus backline—in particular Paul Bahia and Carlos Dhaliwal—was rorck-solid during the entire game, while defender Nick Seddon—as well as midfielders Mike Tempesta and Farhad Abdulgani—were standouts in the Inter line-up.
METRO-FORD WOLVES - NORVAN PACIFIC 2-0: On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, the Wolves remained in contention for a spot in the BC Premier League by defeating the young and inexperienced Norvan Pacific by a 2-0 margin. The first half belonged entirely to the visitors as the Norvan lads appeared confused and perplexed by the excellent midfield performances of veterans Oliver Heald and Emilio Bottiglieri. Very early in the match, another couple of Metro-Ford veterans—Joe Scigliano and Alfredo Valente—combined to give the visitors the lead as Valente finished off a neat pass by Scigliano into what proved to be the winning goal. About 10 minutes later, Valente added his second goal of the match as he capitalized on a great pass by young Anthony DiNicolo by cleverly tucking the ball under Norvan’s goalkeeper, Steve London. The former Eagles bounced back in the second half and created a few chances of their own. In particular, Matt Hartwell was unable to convert a glorious opportunity which arose when goalkeeper Mat Bird fumbled a shot by Norvan’s Blake Burgon. Another Pacific youngster, Kyle Thompson was also unlucky on a couple of occasions as his shots barely missed the net. At the other end of the pitch, Steve London had to come up with a few brilliant saves—the best ones on a great shots by Oliver Heald and Azad Palani—to keep the scoreline respectable. Very late in the match, Metro-Ford’s Chris Jarvie had London beaten with his clever shot but painfully watched the ball bounce off both posts before being cleared out of danger. Metro-Ford’s central defenders—Brook Scott and Kingsley Jones—were once again towers of strength throughout the contest, while Norvan’s defender Lavere Corbin-Org and goalkeeper Steve London turned in superlative performances in a losing cause. The victory improves the third-place Wolves’ record to 8-5-3, while Norvan’s 8th consecutive loss leaves them mired in last place with little hope of avoiding relegation to Division 1.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 2-2: The second Saturday match was played at Cloverdale Athletic Park and featured the league-leading Firemen and the visiting Hibernians. Much to Surrey United’s chagrin, the visitors managed to eke out a draw and thus send the heavy favourites back into second place in the Premier Division table. The Hibs came flying out of the starting gate, dominated the first part of the match, and deservedly took the lead at around the 20th minute mark as a result of a brilliant 3-way passing play involving Jeff Potratz, Alan Chivers, and Peter Chivers. In fact, after Surrey goalkeeper Drew Smiley had made a great save on Peter Chivers’ shot, Richmond’s Masumi Turnbull picked up the rebound and smashed the ball home for the all-important opening goal. Turnbull’s goal seemed to be the wake-up call that the Firefighters needed as they bounced back with grit and determination and quickly knotted the score when Angus Burke finished off a well-executed pass from teammate Stephan Leslie. In the second half, both teams took turns attacking and defending but it was Richmond FC that took the lead at around the 60th minute mark, once again on a close-range shot by Masumi Turnbull. On this occasion, Reynold Stewart picked up a loose ball in the middle of the park and sent Alan Chivers down the right flank with an impeccable pass. Chivers then proceeded to deliver a perfect, low cross into the Surrey goal area, a cross that was hammered home by Turnbull for Richmond’s second goal. Once again, Surrey United responded quickly and scored the final equalizer about 6 minutes later when Brad Petoom sent Angus Burke on a breakaway with an exquisite pass. Burke then proceeded to score his second goal of the match in a calm and composed manner. At this point, the Firemen took over the reins of the match and applied enormous pressure on the Richmond defensive unit in a desperate effort to gain the all-important 3 points. However, some rock solid defending by Stu Walters, as well as some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Matt Clayton kept the score at 2-2 till the final whistle. It should be noted that both teams came very close to scoring what would have been the winning goal in the late stages of the match as Surrey’s Rizal Ganief hit the goal post while Richmond’s Tom Brook lobbed the ball over the crossbar, both with the opposing goalkeeper well-beaten. As mentioned earlier, the single point drops Surrey United back to second place, while the Hibernians remain in 9th place with only 18 points.
CROATIA SC - SAPPERTON ROVERS 4-1: On Sunday, at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver, the Croatians bounced back from last week’s embarrassing 3-0 loss at the hands of the Metro-Ford Wolves by destroying the struggling Sapperton Rovers by a 4-1 margin. Croatia SC dominated the entire first half and took a well-deserved 3-0 lead into the dressing room. Very early in the match, Chris Craveiro’s near post run on a Johnny Sulentic corner kick resulted in the first goal as Craveiro’s glancing header amazingly found the back of the net past a bewildered Sapperton defensive unit. Soon thereafter, Sulentic added insult to Sapperton’s injury by scoring what proved to be the winning goal when a perfectly-played through-ball by Gustavo Argueta sent him on a breakaway. In his usual skillful and composed manner, Sulentic made no mistake in slotting the ball behind Sapperton’s goalkeeper Garth Lagasse. Midway through the first half, Sulentic scored again, this time as he took advantage of a defensive Sapperton blunder as he blocked Lagasse’s attempted clearance before depositing the ball into the back of the net. Midway through the second half, Marinko Maras made a speedy run down the left flank, beat a couple of Sapperton defenders, and played an immaculate low cross to Chris Craveiro who easily slotted the ball home for his second goal of the contest. Soon thereafter, Sapperton’s Jason Pierotti hammered home a close-range shot after having beaten a couple of Croatia’s defenders along the goal line. Despite the loss, the Rovers’ Reyhan Ismail and Danny Caraiman played very well in the midfield, while defender Sven Wagner and forward Brandon Steblin worked tirelessly throughout the match. Needless to say, Johnny Sulentic and Chris Craveiro turned in excellent performances for the Croatians, while midfielder Shawn Parkes and defender Kreso Vonic also played remarkably well. The victory maintains Croatia’s hopes of qualifying for the BC Premier League alive, while Sapperton’s 3rd consecutive loss keeps the Rovers mired in penultimate place, only 3 points ahead of Norvan.
DELTA UNITED - COLUMBUS FC 0-0: Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, two teams with high expectations met in a crucial match. Unfortunately for both teams, the 0-0 draw—and the resulting single point—does not help them a great deal in their quest to gain promotion to next season’s BC Premier League. Even though Columbus had the majority of the ball possession, it must be said that both teams had various goalscoring opportunities. Early in the match, newly-transferred Donald Kambere sent a very dangerous cross into the Columbus goal area, just out of the reach of target man Shawn Blakeway. Soon thereafter, Kambere had a couple of other goalscoring opportunities go awry as he had his shots blocked by Columbus defenders. Near the end of the first half, Delta’s Mark Gomes and Harpreet Khakh both sent their long-range strikes over the crossbar. In the second half, it was Columbus that had the best goalscoring chances as Tiarnan King, Steve DeBlasio, and newly-signed Kaz Kikuchi were all thwarted by Delta goalkeeper Brian Brum. Columbus’ defenders Jonathan Poli and Robbie Cairns were rock-solid throughout the match while Steve Kindel controlled the midfield for the entire 90 minutes of play. Delta’s defensive unit—composed of Devon Greenside, Steve Millar, Brian Fowler, and Mike Gomes—also played extremely well. The result leaves Columbus in a 5th place tie with ICSF Inter, only one point out of 4th place, while Delta United is now in 7th place, 4 points out of the promotion zone.
TEAMS OF THE WEEK: ICST PEGASUS and ICSF INTER for their brilliant performances in their match played on Friday evening at Newton Athletic Park. Both teams played extremely well in their determined effort to gain all 3 points. However, they both had to settle for a disappointing 1-1 draw, a result that does not help either team. It should be mentioned that the goals were scored by the two top goalscorers in the Premier Division, Inter’s Tino Cucca and Pegasus’ Meysam Soltani.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Croatia SC’s midfielder CHRIS CRAVEIRO for his brilliant performance in his team’s 4-1 victory over the Sapperton Rovers. Not only did Craveiro control the middle of the park with his immense skill and precise ball distribution, but he also scored two vital goals in his team’s all-important victory. For his excellent performance, CHRIS CRAVEIRO will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-02-11.
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- Thread starter
- #35
WEEK #18—2010-02-01
West Van FC and Surrey United reversed roles from last week as the Firefighters climbed back into first place by virtue of a 2-1 victory over Westside FC, while the former Trollers could only manage a scoreless tie against Columbus FC. Meanwhile, the Metro-Ford Wolves remained in contention for the Premier Division title by narrowly defeating Delta United by a 2-1 margin. At the bottom of the table, the Sapperton Rovers and Norvan Pacific met in a crucial “relegation-avoidance” match that resulted in a 2-0 victory for the Rovers over the luckless North Vancouver squad.
ICSF INTER - CROATIA SC 1-1: On Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, ICSF Inter and Croatia SC settled for a 1-1 tie after an exciting and well-played 90 minutes of non-stop action. Early in the match, Inter’s Liam Miller came close to scoring as he barely missed the net on a wicked shot from the edge of the 18-yard box. Inter continued to press and eventually took the lead at the 15th minute mark when GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca fired an unstoppable drive from well outside the penalty area into the Croatian net. The Croatians bounced back and tied things up 10 minutes later when Shawn Parkes volleyed a great cross from Andrew Sciampacone into the back of the Inter net, giving goalkeeper Erman Ozkan no chance whatsoever. Inter came close to retaking the lead late in the first half but a clever three-way passing play among Adam Wallace, Tino Cucca, and Mike Tempesta went awry as Tempesta’s shot just went wide of the net. Early in the second half, Croatia almost took the lead when former professional Johnny Sulentic beat a few defenders at the top of the Inter 18-yard box before firing a shot that appeared to be destined for the back of the net. However, a phenomenal save on the part of Erman Ozkan prevented the Croatians from taking the lead. Ten minutes later, Ozkan once again rose to the occasion as he made yet another superb save, this time on a shot by Cristian Tropeano after he had been set up by Johnny Sulentic. Shortly thereafter, Inter’s Terry Davies was ejected from the game for a violent conduct infraction and the Croatians applied even more pressure on the ICSF defence but were unable to score the winning goal, mostly due to some excellent defending on the part of Sonny Uppal and, once again, some brilliant goalkeeping by Erman Ozkan. Croatia’s defensive duo—Kreso Vonic and Andrew Sciampacone—as well as midfielders Philip Kotter and Chris Craverio played very well throughout the contest, while Inter’s goalkeeper Erman Ozkan once again deserves accolades for his amazing performance.
METRO-FORD WOLVES - DELTA UNITED 2-1: Also on Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, Metro-Ford remained in contention for the Premier Division title by edging the rather unlucky Delta United by a 2-1 margin. The first half was evenly—and somewhat cautiously—played as neither team seemed willing to take any potentially damaging risks. The second half insertion of young veteran Andrew Veer into the Metro-Ford lineup paid enormous dividends for the Wolves as he scored two brilliant goals in rapid succession. On the first marker—at about the 60th minute mark—Veer converted an impeccable cross by Joe Scigliano into the opening goal with a close-range shot. Shortly thereafter, Veer unleashed an unstoppable drive from well outside the penalty area, a shot that gave Delta goalkeeper Brian Brum absolutely no chance. To their credit, the visitors refused to give up and came close to scoring on a few of occasions. In particular, Mike Gomes’ wicked volley—on a corner kick by Mark Gomes—was cleared off the line by Alfredo Valente. Shortly thereafter, lady luck was once again not on Mike Gomes’ side as he watched agonizingly as his shot bounced off the post. On the resulting scramble, John Blair also hit the post—much to the chagrin of the Delta squad. With about 5 minutes remaining in the match, Metro-Ford’s Kingsley Jones was fouled inside the Delta penalty area. On the ensuing penalty kick, Andrew Veer failed to finish off his hat-trick as his low shot hit the goalpost with Brian Brum well beaten. Just before the final whistle, a long-range, floating shot by Harpreet Khakh caught Metro-Ford goalkeeper Mat Bird out of position as it sailed over his head and into the net. Unfortunately for the visitors, it was a typical case of “too little, too late” as the final whistle came shortly thereafter. The defensive quartet of Kingsley Jones, Brook Scott, Aaron Beattie, and newcomer Anthony DiNicolo played very well for Metro-Ford, while the Gomes brothers—Mike and Mark—once again turned in outstanding performances for the visitors. The victory leaves the Wolves 3 points behind Surrey United, albeit with a game in hand. Delta United, on the other hand, is now in the middle of the pack with a record of 6-6-6.
SAPPERTON ROVERS - NORVAN PACIFIC 2-0: On Saturday, at Queen’s Park Stadium in New Westminster, the two bottom teams in the Premier Division faced off in a very important “relegation-avoidance” match. At the end of a rather sloppily played 90 minutes, the Rovers came away with the all-important 3 points, a victory which solidifies their chances of avoiding relegation to the first division. The desperate Norvan squad once again was unable to score any goals and thus suffered its 9th consecutive defeat. In the first half, the former Eagles came close to scoring on a few occasions but some poor finishing on the part of Kyle Thompson, Nathan Harte, and Blake Burgon kept the visitors off the scoresheet. At the other end of the pitch, veteran Sapperton forward Ted Ullrich came close to giving his team the lead on a couple of excellent goalscoring opportunities but—on both occasions—he missed the net from close range. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as the visitors exerted a lot of pressure on the Sapperton defense. However, some outstanding defending on the part of veterans Ed (Woody) Bradford and Kent Waechter made life relatively easy for goalkeeper Garth Lagasse as he recorded his 4th shutout of the season. Somewhat against the run of play, the Rovers took the lead at the 60th minute mark when Reyhan Ismail’s well-taken free kick—from well outside the penalty area—sailed into the near top corner of the Norvan net, giving veteran goalkeeper Steve London no chance whatsoever. With only about 5 minutes remaining in the contest, Andrew Celenza took advantage of a great through ball by Danny Caraimann and proceeded to tuck the ball home from close range. Young Norvan defender Brent Dodge—as well as forward Kyle Thompson—played extremely well for the visitors, albeit in a losing cause. The victory improves Sapperton’s chances of avoiding relegation immensely as the Rovers are now 6 points ahead of the last place Pacific, with a game in hand.
ICST PEGASUS - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 3-1: On Saturday, at Minoru Park in Richmond, the high-flying Pegasus continued to impress with yet another excellent performance in defeating the home side by a clear-cut 3-1 margin. The Hibs came out of the starting gate flat-footed and paid the price early in the match as young Sahil Sandhu scored Pegasus’ opening goal on a breakaway, neatly slotting the ball home after having received an outstanding through ball from Ryan Powell. Richmond FC tied things up midway through the first half as the Chivers boys—Peter and Alan—combined to set up Erik Olsen for the close-range equalizer. The Hibernians had a couple of other goalscoring opportunities in the first half but, on both occasions, Pegasus’ goalkeeper—Andy Singh—came up with sensational saves, both on shots by Erik Olsen. Late in the first half, Pegasus took the lead with Ryan Powell once again being the provider as he sent a brilliant cross onto the head of Meysam Soltani who had no difficulty in converting it into what proved to be the winning goal. In the second half, Pegasus defended well and counter-attacked very dangerously as the Hibs tried desperately to score the tying goal. At the 70th minute mark, the visitors scored the insurance marker on a free kick from the edge of the penalty area. Chetan Jhooty, who in the first half had missed a glorious goalscoring opportunity, made amends for his previous faux pas by hammering an incredibly powereful shot towards the Richmond goal. The ball deflected off the defensive wall, bounced off the goalpost, off the back of goalkeeper Matt Clayton’s head, and into the net for Pegasus’ third goal. calm and composed manner. In the late going, Meysam Soltani and Chetan Jhooty came close to adding another goal to Pegasus’ lead but narrowly missed the target with their powerful shots. Richmond’s midfielders Alan Chivers, Reynold Stewart, and Owen Sinclair—as well as striker Brad Caldwell—played very well in a losing cause. Pegasus’ forward Ryan Powell and goalkeeper Andy Singh also turned in excellent performances. The victory—Pegasus’ 7th straight positive result—improves its record to 8-7-3 and solidifies its hold on 4th place, while the Hibernians remain stranded in 9th place with 18 points.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - WESTSIDE FC 2-1: On Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, Surrey United climbed back into first place by edging the Westsiders by a 2-1 margin. Despite carrying most of the play throughout the match, the Firemen had to rely on two late goals to walk away with the all-important victory. In the first half, Surrey United had a few goalscoring chances, but some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Geoff Ayi-Bonte—coupled by same great defending by Cam Kochorek, Sam Wallace, and Chris Mehuys—kept the game scoreless till the halftime break. In particular, Ayi-Bonte made a couple of superlative saves on breakaway efforts by Lucas Barrett and Angus Burke. Surrey United continued to dominate proceedings in the second half and exerted a lot of pressure on the Westside defensive core. The best opportunity for the Firefighters came at about the 60th minute mark when Tyler Rosenlund hit the crossbar with a wicked long-range drive that had Ayi-Bonte handcuffed. Shortly thereafter, as luck would have it, Westside took the lead when Ian Sandilands sent a through ball to Brian Reems who proceeded to cap off an excellent individual performance by neatly beating two Surrey defenders before slotting a low shot into the corner of the net. Westside attempted to defend its narrow lead and succeeded until the 85th minute mark when Tyler Rosenlund—after receiving a great pass from player/coach Niall Thompson—slammed the ball home from close range. Well into ‘injury-time’ Rosenlund and Thompson reversed roles as the former became the provider and the latter the finisher. In fact, a well-taken corner kick by Rosenlund was headed into the old onion bag by Thompson, thus gaining all 3 points for the visitors. Defensively, Steve McAuley played very well for the victors, while forward Rizal Ganief worked tirelessly all game long and drove the Westside defenders to distraction with his speed, energy, and skill. As mentioned earlier, the victory catapults Surrey United into first place, one point ahead of West Van FC. Westside FC, on the other hand, remain near the bottom of the table with a mediocre 4-4-10 record.
COLUMBUS FC - WEST VAN FC 0-0: On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, two of the top teams in the VMSL’s Premier Division faced off in a crucial match. Unfortunately for both teams, the 0-0 draw—and the resulting single point—does neither team any favours. In fact, the result drops the former Trollers to second place, one point behind Surrey United, while Columbus remains in a 5th place tie with arch-rival ICSF Inter. Columbus had most of the ball possession throughout the contest and created more dangerous goalscoring opportunities. However, at the end of the day, the scoreless draw was a result of solid defending, good goalkeeping, and lacklustre finishing by both squads. Columbus had most of the play in the early going and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions on chances by Kozo Manome and Steve Kindel. On the first opportunity, Manome took advantage of a scramble inside the 18-yard box but his blistering shot rang off the crossbar and out of danger. On the other hand, Kindel’s rocket of a free kick was brilliantly saved by West Van’s goalkeeper, Marco Durante. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first with Durante once again coming up with a couple of excellent saves to preserve the tie for the visitors. West Van’s best chance came late in the match when Corey Birza was left wide open inside the goal area but sailed his header over the crossbar from very close range. Defensively, Jonathan Poli, Tony Gaita, Blair Robertson, and Robbie Cairns played very well for Columbus, while West Van’s goalkeeper Marco Durante was forced to make a few remarkable saves to keep his team in the game. As mentioned earlier, West Van FC now drops to second place in the Premier Division standings, one point behind Surrey United, while Columbus FC remains in 5th place.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS for their excellent effort in defeating the always tough Westside FC by a 2-1 margin. Surrey United dominated proceedings from start to finish but had to rely on two late goals to claim all 3 points against the defensively-minded Westsiders. As a result of the victory, the Firefighters have climbed back into sole possession of first place, albeit only one point ahead of West Van FC. It should also be mentioned that Surrey United has now extended its unbeaten streak to a remarkable 8 games!
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ICSF Inter’s goalkeeper ERMAN OZKAN for his amazing performance in his team’s 1-1 tie against Croatia SC. Time after time Ozkan was called upon to make incredible saves against the vaunted Croatian strikers. In particular, Ozkan robbed former professional Johnny Sulentic with a world-class save. For his excellent performance, ERMAN OZKAN will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-02-18.
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West Van FC and Surrey United reversed roles from last week as the Firefighters climbed back into first place by virtue of a 2-1 victory over Westside FC, while the former Trollers could only manage a scoreless tie against Columbus FC. Meanwhile, the Metro-Ford Wolves remained in contention for the Premier Division title by narrowly defeating Delta United by a 2-1 margin. At the bottom of the table, the Sapperton Rovers and Norvan Pacific met in a crucial “relegation-avoidance” match that resulted in a 2-0 victory for the Rovers over the luckless North Vancouver squad.
ICSF INTER - CROATIA SC 1-1: On Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, ICSF Inter and Croatia SC settled for a 1-1 tie after an exciting and well-played 90 minutes of non-stop action. Early in the match, Inter’s Liam Miller came close to scoring as he barely missed the net on a wicked shot from the edge of the 18-yard box. Inter continued to press and eventually took the lead at the 15th minute mark when GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca fired an unstoppable drive from well outside the penalty area into the Croatian net. The Croatians bounced back and tied things up 10 minutes later when Shawn Parkes volleyed a great cross from Andrew Sciampacone into the back of the Inter net, giving goalkeeper Erman Ozkan no chance whatsoever. Inter came close to retaking the lead late in the first half but a clever three-way passing play among Adam Wallace, Tino Cucca, and Mike Tempesta went awry as Tempesta’s shot just went wide of the net. Early in the second half, Croatia almost took the lead when former professional Johnny Sulentic beat a few defenders at the top of the Inter 18-yard box before firing a shot that appeared to be destined for the back of the net. However, a phenomenal save on the part of Erman Ozkan prevented the Croatians from taking the lead. Ten minutes later, Ozkan once again rose to the occasion as he made yet another superb save, this time on a shot by Cristian Tropeano after he had been set up by Johnny Sulentic. Shortly thereafter, Inter’s Terry Davies was ejected from the game for a violent conduct infraction and the Croatians applied even more pressure on the ICSF defence but were unable to score the winning goal, mostly due to some excellent defending on the part of Sonny Uppal and, once again, some brilliant goalkeeping by Erman Ozkan. Croatia’s defensive duo—Kreso Vonic and Andrew Sciampacone—as well as midfielders Philip Kotter and Chris Craverio played very well throughout the contest, while Inter’s goalkeeper Erman Ozkan once again deserves accolades for his amazing performance.
METRO-FORD WOLVES - DELTA UNITED 2-1: Also on Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, Metro-Ford remained in contention for the Premier Division title by edging the rather unlucky Delta United by a 2-1 margin. The first half was evenly—and somewhat cautiously—played as neither team seemed willing to take any potentially damaging risks. The second half insertion of young veteran Andrew Veer into the Metro-Ford lineup paid enormous dividends for the Wolves as he scored two brilliant goals in rapid succession. On the first marker—at about the 60th minute mark—Veer converted an impeccable cross by Joe Scigliano into the opening goal with a close-range shot. Shortly thereafter, Veer unleashed an unstoppable drive from well outside the penalty area, a shot that gave Delta goalkeeper Brian Brum absolutely no chance. To their credit, the visitors refused to give up and came close to scoring on a few of occasions. In particular, Mike Gomes’ wicked volley—on a corner kick by Mark Gomes—was cleared off the line by Alfredo Valente. Shortly thereafter, lady luck was once again not on Mike Gomes’ side as he watched agonizingly as his shot bounced off the post. On the resulting scramble, John Blair also hit the post—much to the chagrin of the Delta squad. With about 5 minutes remaining in the match, Metro-Ford’s Kingsley Jones was fouled inside the Delta penalty area. On the ensuing penalty kick, Andrew Veer failed to finish off his hat-trick as his low shot hit the goalpost with Brian Brum well beaten. Just before the final whistle, a long-range, floating shot by Harpreet Khakh caught Metro-Ford goalkeeper Mat Bird out of position as it sailed over his head and into the net. Unfortunately for the visitors, it was a typical case of “too little, too late” as the final whistle came shortly thereafter. The defensive quartet of Kingsley Jones, Brook Scott, Aaron Beattie, and newcomer Anthony DiNicolo played very well for Metro-Ford, while the Gomes brothers—Mike and Mark—once again turned in outstanding performances for the visitors. The victory leaves the Wolves 3 points behind Surrey United, albeit with a game in hand. Delta United, on the other hand, is now in the middle of the pack with a record of 6-6-6.
SAPPERTON ROVERS - NORVAN PACIFIC 2-0: On Saturday, at Queen’s Park Stadium in New Westminster, the two bottom teams in the Premier Division faced off in a very important “relegation-avoidance” match. At the end of a rather sloppily played 90 minutes, the Rovers came away with the all-important 3 points, a victory which solidifies their chances of avoiding relegation to the first division. The desperate Norvan squad once again was unable to score any goals and thus suffered its 9th consecutive defeat. In the first half, the former Eagles came close to scoring on a few occasions but some poor finishing on the part of Kyle Thompson, Nathan Harte, and Blake Burgon kept the visitors off the scoresheet. At the other end of the pitch, veteran Sapperton forward Ted Ullrich came close to giving his team the lead on a couple of excellent goalscoring opportunities but—on both occasions—he missed the net from close range. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as the visitors exerted a lot of pressure on the Sapperton defense. However, some outstanding defending on the part of veterans Ed (Woody) Bradford and Kent Waechter made life relatively easy for goalkeeper Garth Lagasse as he recorded his 4th shutout of the season. Somewhat against the run of play, the Rovers took the lead at the 60th minute mark when Reyhan Ismail’s well-taken free kick—from well outside the penalty area—sailed into the near top corner of the Norvan net, giving veteran goalkeeper Steve London no chance whatsoever. With only about 5 minutes remaining in the contest, Andrew Celenza took advantage of a great through ball by Danny Caraimann and proceeded to tuck the ball home from close range. Young Norvan defender Brent Dodge—as well as forward Kyle Thompson—played extremely well for the visitors, albeit in a losing cause. The victory improves Sapperton’s chances of avoiding relegation immensely as the Rovers are now 6 points ahead of the last place Pacific, with a game in hand.
ICST PEGASUS - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 3-1: On Saturday, at Minoru Park in Richmond, the high-flying Pegasus continued to impress with yet another excellent performance in defeating the home side by a clear-cut 3-1 margin. The Hibs came out of the starting gate flat-footed and paid the price early in the match as young Sahil Sandhu scored Pegasus’ opening goal on a breakaway, neatly slotting the ball home after having received an outstanding through ball from Ryan Powell. Richmond FC tied things up midway through the first half as the Chivers boys—Peter and Alan—combined to set up Erik Olsen for the close-range equalizer. The Hibernians had a couple of other goalscoring opportunities in the first half but, on both occasions, Pegasus’ goalkeeper—Andy Singh—came up with sensational saves, both on shots by Erik Olsen. Late in the first half, Pegasus took the lead with Ryan Powell once again being the provider as he sent a brilliant cross onto the head of Meysam Soltani who had no difficulty in converting it into what proved to be the winning goal. In the second half, Pegasus defended well and counter-attacked very dangerously as the Hibs tried desperately to score the tying goal. At the 70th minute mark, the visitors scored the insurance marker on a free kick from the edge of the penalty area. Chetan Jhooty, who in the first half had missed a glorious goalscoring opportunity, made amends for his previous faux pas by hammering an incredibly powereful shot towards the Richmond goal. The ball deflected off the defensive wall, bounced off the goalpost, off the back of goalkeeper Matt Clayton’s head, and into the net for Pegasus’ third goal. calm and composed manner. In the late going, Meysam Soltani and Chetan Jhooty came close to adding another goal to Pegasus’ lead but narrowly missed the target with their powerful shots. Richmond’s midfielders Alan Chivers, Reynold Stewart, and Owen Sinclair—as well as striker Brad Caldwell—played very well in a losing cause. Pegasus’ forward Ryan Powell and goalkeeper Andy Singh also turned in excellent performances. The victory—Pegasus’ 7th straight positive result—improves its record to 8-7-3 and solidifies its hold on 4th place, while the Hibernians remain stranded in 9th place with 18 points.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - WESTSIDE FC 2-1: On Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, Surrey United climbed back into first place by edging the Westsiders by a 2-1 margin. Despite carrying most of the play throughout the match, the Firemen had to rely on two late goals to walk away with the all-important victory. In the first half, Surrey United had a few goalscoring chances, but some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Geoff Ayi-Bonte—coupled by same great defending by Cam Kochorek, Sam Wallace, and Chris Mehuys—kept the game scoreless till the halftime break. In particular, Ayi-Bonte made a couple of superlative saves on breakaway efforts by Lucas Barrett and Angus Burke. Surrey United continued to dominate proceedings in the second half and exerted a lot of pressure on the Westside defensive core. The best opportunity for the Firefighters came at about the 60th minute mark when Tyler Rosenlund hit the crossbar with a wicked long-range drive that had Ayi-Bonte handcuffed. Shortly thereafter, as luck would have it, Westside took the lead when Ian Sandilands sent a through ball to Brian Reems who proceeded to cap off an excellent individual performance by neatly beating two Surrey defenders before slotting a low shot into the corner of the net. Westside attempted to defend its narrow lead and succeeded until the 85th minute mark when Tyler Rosenlund—after receiving a great pass from player/coach Niall Thompson—slammed the ball home from close range. Well into ‘injury-time’ Rosenlund and Thompson reversed roles as the former became the provider and the latter the finisher. In fact, a well-taken corner kick by Rosenlund was headed into the old onion bag by Thompson, thus gaining all 3 points for the visitors. Defensively, Steve McAuley played very well for the victors, while forward Rizal Ganief worked tirelessly all game long and drove the Westside defenders to distraction with his speed, energy, and skill. As mentioned earlier, the victory catapults Surrey United into first place, one point ahead of West Van FC. Westside FC, on the other hand, remain near the bottom of the table with a mediocre 4-4-10 record.
COLUMBUS FC - WEST VAN FC 0-0: On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, two of the top teams in the VMSL’s Premier Division faced off in a crucial match. Unfortunately for both teams, the 0-0 draw—and the resulting single point—does neither team any favours. In fact, the result drops the former Trollers to second place, one point behind Surrey United, while Columbus remains in a 5th place tie with arch-rival ICSF Inter. Columbus had most of the ball possession throughout the contest and created more dangerous goalscoring opportunities. However, at the end of the day, the scoreless draw was a result of solid defending, good goalkeeping, and lacklustre finishing by both squads. Columbus had most of the play in the early going and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions on chances by Kozo Manome and Steve Kindel. On the first opportunity, Manome took advantage of a scramble inside the 18-yard box but his blistering shot rang off the crossbar and out of danger. On the other hand, Kindel’s rocket of a free kick was brilliantly saved by West Van’s goalkeeper, Marco Durante. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first with Durante once again coming up with a couple of excellent saves to preserve the tie for the visitors. West Van’s best chance came late in the match when Corey Birza was left wide open inside the goal area but sailed his header over the crossbar from very close range. Defensively, Jonathan Poli, Tony Gaita, Blair Robertson, and Robbie Cairns played very well for Columbus, while West Van’s goalkeeper Marco Durante was forced to make a few remarkable saves to keep his team in the game. As mentioned earlier, West Van FC now drops to second place in the Premier Division standings, one point behind Surrey United, while Columbus FC remains in 5th place.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS for their excellent effort in defeating the always tough Westside FC by a 2-1 margin. Surrey United dominated proceedings from start to finish but had to rely on two late goals to claim all 3 points against the defensively-minded Westsiders. As a result of the victory, the Firefighters have climbed back into sole possession of first place, albeit only one point ahead of West Van FC. It should also be mentioned that Surrey United has now extended its unbeaten streak to a remarkable 8 games!
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ICSF Inter’s goalkeeper ERMAN OZKAN for his amazing performance in his team’s 1-1 tie against Croatia SC. Time after time Ozkan was called upon to make incredible saves against the vaunted Croatian strikers. In particular, Ozkan robbed former professional Johnny Sulentic with a world-class save. For his excellent performance, ERMAN OZKAN will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-02-18.
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- Thread starter
- #36
WEEK #19—2010-02-08
West Van FC and Surrey United continued to impress by virtue of their respective hard-fought victories over the Metro-Ford Wolves and Columbus FC. With only 3 games remaining in the regular schedule, it would appear that the league title will be awarded to one of the two aforementioned front-runners. At the bottom of the table, Norvan Pacific climbed a wee bit closer to the Sapperton Rovers by upsetting ICSF Inter, Norvan’s first victory since October! The victory keeps Norvan’s slight hopes of avoiding relegation alive, with the Rovers now within reach.
WEST VAN FC - METRO-FORD WOLVES 1-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, West Van FC remained in contention for the league title by defeating the visiting Wolves by a narrow, but well-earned, 1-0 margin. The former Trollers came out of the starting gate with passion and determination and were rewarded very early in the game when former Whitecap Justin Thompson headed home a brilliant cross by Milad Rahmati for the only goal of the contest. It should be mentioned that Rahmati had made a spectacular solo run before crossing the ball onto Thompson’s path. After the initial goal, the game seemed to stagnate as the home team reverted to its notorious style, not allowing Metro-Ford any space to create goalscoring opportunities. As a result, both teams had very few quality chances for the remainder of the match. Defensively, Leo Nash, Trevor Short, Max Baessato, and Tim Perry kept the Metro-Ford strikers at bay and made life relatively easy for young goalkeeper Nick Boyd as he recorded yet another West Van shutout—the 9th of the season. At the other end of the pitch, Milad Rahmati was a going concern throughout the contest, using his speed and skill to full advantage. Brook Scott and young Paul Clerc played extremely well for the Wolves in their centre-back positions, as they allowed Rahmati and Justin Thompson very few chances to add to West Van’s lead. The best opportunity for Thompson came very late in the match when Metro-Ford goalkeeper Mathew Bird came up with a superb save on a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net. The victory keeps West Van FC only one point behind Surrey United, while the Wolves appear to be out of the running for the league title as a result of the loss.
WESTSIDE FC - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 2-2: On Saturday afternoon, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, the visiting Hibernians and Westside FC settled for a 2-2 draw after a well-played and heavily-contested 90 minutes of action. Richmond FC came out of the starting blocks looking for a victory and carried most of the play during the entire match but, at the end, walked away with a disappointing single point. The Hibs got off to a good start and put the Westsiders on their heels early in the match. But, as luck would have it, it was the home team that took the lead at the 25th minute mark when Peter Bow—after outpacing and outmuscling a couple of Richmond defenders—dribbled along the end line and placed a perfect pass onto the path of Jay Kent-Hume who calmly proceeded to slot the ball into the net for the opening goal. Richmond continued to press for the remainder of the first half but had to wait till the early stages of the second half to finally score the equalizer. After Masumi Turnbull and Brad Caldwell had played a clever one-two, Turnbull was fouled inside the Westside penalty area. On the ensuing penalty kick, Richmond’s Erik Olsen made no mistake as he sent goalkeeper Rowan Anders the wrong way with a well-taken spot shot. About 20 minutes later, a perfectly-placed, near-post corner kick by Erik Olsen was superbly redirected into the net by Brad Caldwell’s brilliant diving header. The visitors continued to attack in search of the insurance marker and came close on several occasions to adding to their lead. However, some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Westside’s Rowan Anders prevented the Hibs from scoring their thir goal. In particular, Anders made miraculous saves on a blistering shot by Reynold Stewart and on a great Alan Chivers header. Late in the match, substitute Frank Glassen unleashed an unstoppable, left-footed shot from just outside the penalty area for the equalizer. The result leaves both teams near the bottom of the table, but seemingly out of the relegation zone.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - COLUMBUS FC 2-1: Also on Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, the first place Firemen extended their impressive unbeaten streak to 9 games with a narrow 2-1 victory over the visiting ‘Italians’. As expected, the entire game was a hard-fought battle, with clear-cut scoring chances at a premium. Surrey United came close to scoring in the first half when Angus Burke tried to flick home a Rizal Ganief cross at the near post. However, Columbus’ veteran defender Tony Gaita rose to the occasion as he made a brave goal-saving tackle inside the 6-yard box. At the other end of the pitch, Columbus also had a great goal-scoring opportunity but veteran Surrey United defender Jeff Skinner cleared a shot by Steve DeBlasio off the goal line to keep the game scoreless during the entire first half. The deadlock was finally broken at the 60th minute mark when Surrey United’s young Gagan Josan stripped the ball from a Columbus defender and fired a perfect, low cross which veteran midfielder Jeff Clarke smashed into the back of the net from close range. Columbus responded very well to Surrey’s goal and bounced back tenaciously. The visitors were rewarded 10 minutes later when veteran Tiarnan King set up Steve Frazao with a brilliant pass. Frazao proceeded to fire a low, right-footed blast from a very tight angle into the net for the equalizer. Both teams then had chances to snatch the winner but it was Surrey United that seized the initiative when a long ball into the penalty area was awkwardly gathered by Jeff Clarke and, as he lay on the ground, proceeded to hook it into the middle of the goal area where Angus Burke tapped it into the net for the winning goal. Columbus almost tied things up in the late going, but a great sprawling save by Drew Smiley on a shot by Tiarnan King kept the scoreline at 2-1 till the final whistle. Steve McAuley and Brad Peetom were rock-solid in the Surrey United defense, while Lucas Barrett, Gagan Josan, and former Whitecaps’ captain Jeff Clarke made significant contributions in the midfield. For Columbus, striker Kaz Kikuchi, as well as midfielders Steve DeBlasio and Nathan Quan, also played very well, albeit in a losing cause. The victory keeps Surrey United in first place, only 1 point ahead of West Van FC, while Columbus remains in a 5th place tie.
NORVAN PACIFIC - ICSF INTER 1-0: The third Saturday game was played at Confederation Park in North Vancouver and featured the desperate Norvan Pacific and the visiting ICSF Inter. After losing 9 straight games, Norvan bounced out of its slump by defeating the visiting ‘Italians’ by a close, but well-deserved, 1-0 margin. The first half belonged entirely to Norvan as the Inter boys appeared to be a little over-confident and somewhat complacent. The home team came close to taking the lead on a couple of early occasions but Matt Hartwell and Adam Caldway narrowly missed the target with close-range shots. Late in the first half, Norvan was finally rewarded when Colin Soo sent a great cross into the box from the left flank, a cross that Scott Howey converted into the winning goal with a well-placed volley. In the second half, Inter pushed forward in search of the equalizer but some poor finishing—coupled by some excellent goalkeeping on the part of young Lucas Menz—kept the scoreline at 1-0 till the final whistle. As mentioned earlier, the victory keeps Norvan’s slim hopes of avoiding relegation alive, while Inter remains deadlocked in a 5th place tie in the VMSL Premier Division table.
CROATIA SC - ICST PEGASUS: 3-1: On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, climbed into a 5th place tie with Columbus FC and ICSF Inter by defeating the aspiring Pegasus team by a rather clear-cut 3-1 margin. The Croatians outplayed the visiting Surrey team during the entire first half and took a well-deserved 2-0 lead into the dressing room. Croatia SC took the early lead when young Steve Fronzo sent Christian Tropeano in on goal with a great through ball. Tropeano made no mistake as he flicked the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper—Andy Singh—for the opening goal. Midway through the first half, Croatia SC added its second goal on a blistering shot by Fronzo from well outside the penalty area. It should be mentioned that Fronzo had originally been set up by a clever pass by Gustavo Argueta. Pegasus bounced back and came close to narrowing the margin when Meysam Soltani raced in on a partial breakaway but was denied the opportunity by Didar Sandhu’s fine save. Late in the first half, Tropeano almost added insult to Pegasus’ injury as he chested down a cross from Fronzo, raced in all alone, but inexplicably missed the net. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as the Croatians seemed to be much hungrier and clearly more determined to claim all 3 points. At about the 80th minute mark, goalkeeper Didar Sandhu sent Christian Tropeano on a counter-attack with a long-range throw. Tropeano capped off a fine individual performance by finding a wide-open Chris Craveiro who had no difficulty whatsoever in tapping the ball home for Croatia’s third goal. Pegasus made the scoreline somewhat respectable very late in the match, as defender Ryan Green headed home a Sunny Bains corner kick, thus spoiling Sandhu’s shutout chances. The entire Croatia team played very well, but special mention must be made of defenders Andrew Sciampacone, Darko Jelic, and Kreso Vonic who continually shut down Pegasus’ powerful forwards. Also, veteran midfielder Chris Craveiro turned in a brilliant performance as he controlled the middle of the park flawlessly throughout the entire match. Needless to say, Steve Fronzo and Christian Tropeano also turned in superlative performances as they drove the Pegasus defenders to distraction, thus contributing enormously to their team’s victory.
DELTA UNITED - SAPPERTON ROVERS 3-1: Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Park in Delta, Delta United bounced back from an early 1-0 deficit to defeat the visiting Sapperton Rovers by a scoring 3 very late goals. The Rovers took the lead at about the 15th minute mark on a great shot from the edge of the penalty area by Danny Caraiman. The home team took over the reins of the match from that point onward but had to wait till the 80th minute mark to score the equalizer. Several excellent saves on the part of Sapperton goalkeeper Garth Lagasse, as well as a few missed opportunities by the Delta attackers, contributed largely to Delta’s failure to score much earlier in the match. In particular, first half chances by Mark Gomes and Harpreet Khakh were thwarted by Lagasse’s fine goalkeeping, while Steve Dormer and Shawn Blakeway barely missed the net with their second half shots. It should also be mentioned that the Rovers also had a couple of chances but both Andrew Celenza and Sidd Achuthan missed the net from close range. At the 80th minute mark, a patented Mark Gomes cross resulted in Delta’s tying goal as Mike Gomes headed the ball home for the long awaited equalizer. Then, in rapid succession, the Donald Kambere – Shawn Blakeway show took place as they combined to score Delta’s next two goals in very similar fashion. On both goals, Kambere capitalized on his speed and skill as he set up targetman Blakeway for the winning goal and insurance marker. Defensively, Sapperton veterans Edward Bradford and Kent Waechter played remarkably well as did midfielders Ted Ullrich, Reyhan Ismail, and Colin Phillips. Midfielder Brian Gebbie and forwards Donald Kambere and Shawn Blakeway also turned in solid performances for the winning Delta team. The result drops the Rovers back in the dreaded relegation zone, while Delta United is now only one point out of 5th place, with a 7-6-6 record.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: CROATIA SC for its remarkable performance in defeating the favoured ICST Pegasus by a clear-cut 3-1 margin. Led by the excellent performances of veteran midfielder Chris Craveiro, forward Christian Tropeano, and young outside midfielder Steven Fronzo, the Croatians dominated the entire match against their highly-regarded opponents and fully deserved the victory.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Croatia SC’s outside midfielder STEVEN FRONZO for his brilliant performance in his team’s 3-1 upset victory over ICST Pegasus. The youngster set up Christian Tropeano for Croatia’s first goal with an immaculate pass. He then proceeded to score the winning goal on a blistering long-range shot. Throughout the rest of the match, Fronzo drove his opponents to distraction with his enormous skill and fast pace. For his excellent performance, STEVEN FRONZO will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-02-25.
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West Van FC and Surrey United continued to impress by virtue of their respective hard-fought victories over the Metro-Ford Wolves and Columbus FC. With only 3 games remaining in the regular schedule, it would appear that the league title will be awarded to one of the two aforementioned front-runners. At the bottom of the table, Norvan Pacific climbed a wee bit closer to the Sapperton Rovers by upsetting ICSF Inter, Norvan’s first victory since October! The victory keeps Norvan’s slight hopes of avoiding relegation alive, with the Rovers now within reach.
WEST VAN FC - METRO-FORD WOLVES 1-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, West Van FC remained in contention for the league title by defeating the visiting Wolves by a narrow, but well-earned, 1-0 margin. The former Trollers came out of the starting gate with passion and determination and were rewarded very early in the game when former Whitecap Justin Thompson headed home a brilliant cross by Milad Rahmati for the only goal of the contest. It should be mentioned that Rahmati had made a spectacular solo run before crossing the ball onto Thompson’s path. After the initial goal, the game seemed to stagnate as the home team reverted to its notorious style, not allowing Metro-Ford any space to create goalscoring opportunities. As a result, both teams had very few quality chances for the remainder of the match. Defensively, Leo Nash, Trevor Short, Max Baessato, and Tim Perry kept the Metro-Ford strikers at bay and made life relatively easy for young goalkeeper Nick Boyd as he recorded yet another West Van shutout—the 9th of the season. At the other end of the pitch, Milad Rahmati was a going concern throughout the contest, using his speed and skill to full advantage. Brook Scott and young Paul Clerc played extremely well for the Wolves in their centre-back positions, as they allowed Rahmati and Justin Thompson very few chances to add to West Van’s lead. The best opportunity for Thompson came very late in the match when Metro-Ford goalkeeper Mathew Bird came up with a superb save on a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net. The victory keeps West Van FC only one point behind Surrey United, while the Wolves appear to be out of the running for the league title as a result of the loss.
WESTSIDE FC - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 2-2: On Saturday afternoon, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, the visiting Hibernians and Westside FC settled for a 2-2 draw after a well-played and heavily-contested 90 minutes of action. Richmond FC came out of the starting blocks looking for a victory and carried most of the play during the entire match but, at the end, walked away with a disappointing single point. The Hibs got off to a good start and put the Westsiders on their heels early in the match. But, as luck would have it, it was the home team that took the lead at the 25th minute mark when Peter Bow—after outpacing and outmuscling a couple of Richmond defenders—dribbled along the end line and placed a perfect pass onto the path of Jay Kent-Hume who calmly proceeded to slot the ball into the net for the opening goal. Richmond continued to press for the remainder of the first half but had to wait till the early stages of the second half to finally score the equalizer. After Masumi Turnbull and Brad Caldwell had played a clever one-two, Turnbull was fouled inside the Westside penalty area. On the ensuing penalty kick, Richmond’s Erik Olsen made no mistake as he sent goalkeeper Rowan Anders the wrong way with a well-taken spot shot. About 20 minutes later, a perfectly-placed, near-post corner kick by Erik Olsen was superbly redirected into the net by Brad Caldwell’s brilliant diving header. The visitors continued to attack in search of the insurance marker and came close on several occasions to adding to their lead. However, some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Westside’s Rowan Anders prevented the Hibs from scoring their thir goal. In particular, Anders made miraculous saves on a blistering shot by Reynold Stewart and on a great Alan Chivers header. Late in the match, substitute Frank Glassen unleashed an unstoppable, left-footed shot from just outside the penalty area for the equalizer. The result leaves both teams near the bottom of the table, but seemingly out of the relegation zone.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - COLUMBUS FC 2-1: Also on Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, the first place Firemen extended their impressive unbeaten streak to 9 games with a narrow 2-1 victory over the visiting ‘Italians’. As expected, the entire game was a hard-fought battle, with clear-cut scoring chances at a premium. Surrey United came close to scoring in the first half when Angus Burke tried to flick home a Rizal Ganief cross at the near post. However, Columbus’ veteran defender Tony Gaita rose to the occasion as he made a brave goal-saving tackle inside the 6-yard box. At the other end of the pitch, Columbus also had a great goal-scoring opportunity but veteran Surrey United defender Jeff Skinner cleared a shot by Steve DeBlasio off the goal line to keep the game scoreless during the entire first half. The deadlock was finally broken at the 60th minute mark when Surrey United’s young Gagan Josan stripped the ball from a Columbus defender and fired a perfect, low cross which veteran midfielder Jeff Clarke smashed into the back of the net from close range. Columbus responded very well to Surrey’s goal and bounced back tenaciously. The visitors were rewarded 10 minutes later when veteran Tiarnan King set up Steve Frazao with a brilliant pass. Frazao proceeded to fire a low, right-footed blast from a very tight angle into the net for the equalizer. Both teams then had chances to snatch the winner but it was Surrey United that seized the initiative when a long ball into the penalty area was awkwardly gathered by Jeff Clarke and, as he lay on the ground, proceeded to hook it into the middle of the goal area where Angus Burke tapped it into the net for the winning goal. Columbus almost tied things up in the late going, but a great sprawling save by Drew Smiley on a shot by Tiarnan King kept the scoreline at 2-1 till the final whistle. Steve McAuley and Brad Peetom were rock-solid in the Surrey United defense, while Lucas Barrett, Gagan Josan, and former Whitecaps’ captain Jeff Clarke made significant contributions in the midfield. For Columbus, striker Kaz Kikuchi, as well as midfielders Steve DeBlasio and Nathan Quan, also played very well, albeit in a losing cause. The victory keeps Surrey United in first place, only 1 point ahead of West Van FC, while Columbus remains in a 5th place tie.
NORVAN PACIFIC - ICSF INTER 1-0: The third Saturday game was played at Confederation Park in North Vancouver and featured the desperate Norvan Pacific and the visiting ICSF Inter. After losing 9 straight games, Norvan bounced out of its slump by defeating the visiting ‘Italians’ by a close, but well-deserved, 1-0 margin. The first half belonged entirely to Norvan as the Inter boys appeared to be a little over-confident and somewhat complacent. The home team came close to taking the lead on a couple of early occasions but Matt Hartwell and Adam Caldway narrowly missed the target with close-range shots. Late in the first half, Norvan was finally rewarded when Colin Soo sent a great cross into the box from the left flank, a cross that Scott Howey converted into the winning goal with a well-placed volley. In the second half, Inter pushed forward in search of the equalizer but some poor finishing—coupled by some excellent goalkeeping on the part of young Lucas Menz—kept the scoreline at 1-0 till the final whistle. As mentioned earlier, the victory keeps Norvan’s slim hopes of avoiding relegation alive, while Inter remains deadlocked in a 5th place tie in the VMSL Premier Division table.
CROATIA SC - ICST PEGASUS: 3-1: On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, climbed into a 5th place tie with Columbus FC and ICSF Inter by defeating the aspiring Pegasus team by a rather clear-cut 3-1 margin. The Croatians outplayed the visiting Surrey team during the entire first half and took a well-deserved 2-0 lead into the dressing room. Croatia SC took the early lead when young Steve Fronzo sent Christian Tropeano in on goal with a great through ball. Tropeano made no mistake as he flicked the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper—Andy Singh—for the opening goal. Midway through the first half, Croatia SC added its second goal on a blistering shot by Fronzo from well outside the penalty area. It should be mentioned that Fronzo had originally been set up by a clever pass by Gustavo Argueta. Pegasus bounced back and came close to narrowing the margin when Meysam Soltani raced in on a partial breakaway but was denied the opportunity by Didar Sandhu’s fine save. Late in the first half, Tropeano almost added insult to Pegasus’ injury as he chested down a cross from Fronzo, raced in all alone, but inexplicably missed the net. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as the Croatians seemed to be much hungrier and clearly more determined to claim all 3 points. At about the 80th minute mark, goalkeeper Didar Sandhu sent Christian Tropeano on a counter-attack with a long-range throw. Tropeano capped off a fine individual performance by finding a wide-open Chris Craveiro who had no difficulty whatsoever in tapping the ball home for Croatia’s third goal. Pegasus made the scoreline somewhat respectable very late in the match, as defender Ryan Green headed home a Sunny Bains corner kick, thus spoiling Sandhu’s shutout chances. The entire Croatia team played very well, but special mention must be made of defenders Andrew Sciampacone, Darko Jelic, and Kreso Vonic who continually shut down Pegasus’ powerful forwards. Also, veteran midfielder Chris Craveiro turned in a brilliant performance as he controlled the middle of the park flawlessly throughout the entire match. Needless to say, Steve Fronzo and Christian Tropeano also turned in superlative performances as they drove the Pegasus defenders to distraction, thus contributing enormously to their team’s victory.
DELTA UNITED - SAPPERTON ROVERS 3-1: Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Park in Delta, Delta United bounced back from an early 1-0 deficit to defeat the visiting Sapperton Rovers by a scoring 3 very late goals. The Rovers took the lead at about the 15th minute mark on a great shot from the edge of the penalty area by Danny Caraiman. The home team took over the reins of the match from that point onward but had to wait till the 80th minute mark to score the equalizer. Several excellent saves on the part of Sapperton goalkeeper Garth Lagasse, as well as a few missed opportunities by the Delta attackers, contributed largely to Delta’s failure to score much earlier in the match. In particular, first half chances by Mark Gomes and Harpreet Khakh were thwarted by Lagasse’s fine goalkeeping, while Steve Dormer and Shawn Blakeway barely missed the net with their second half shots. It should also be mentioned that the Rovers also had a couple of chances but both Andrew Celenza and Sidd Achuthan missed the net from close range. At the 80th minute mark, a patented Mark Gomes cross resulted in Delta’s tying goal as Mike Gomes headed the ball home for the long awaited equalizer. Then, in rapid succession, the Donald Kambere – Shawn Blakeway show took place as they combined to score Delta’s next two goals in very similar fashion. On both goals, Kambere capitalized on his speed and skill as he set up targetman Blakeway for the winning goal and insurance marker. Defensively, Sapperton veterans Edward Bradford and Kent Waechter played remarkably well as did midfielders Ted Ullrich, Reyhan Ismail, and Colin Phillips. Midfielder Brian Gebbie and forwards Donald Kambere and Shawn Blakeway also turned in solid performances for the winning Delta team. The result drops the Rovers back in the dreaded relegation zone, while Delta United is now only one point out of 5th place, with a 7-6-6 record.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: CROATIA SC for its remarkable performance in defeating the favoured ICST Pegasus by a clear-cut 3-1 margin. Led by the excellent performances of veteran midfielder Chris Craveiro, forward Christian Tropeano, and young outside midfielder Steven Fronzo, the Croatians dominated the entire match against their highly-regarded opponents and fully deserved the victory.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Croatia SC’s outside midfielder STEVEN FRONZO for his brilliant performance in his team’s 3-1 upset victory over ICST Pegasus. The youngster set up Christian Tropeano for Croatia’s first goal with an immaculate pass. He then proceeded to score the winning goal on a blistering long-range shot. Throughout the rest of the match, Fronzo drove his opponents to distraction with his enormous skill and fast pace. For his excellent performance, STEVEN FRONZO will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-02-25.
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FriendsUnited
Not Bright
One day we will make azzi's write up.. and i will get a free small pepperoni pizza...do hey give garlic bread and free drink to?
SIXFY , please remove the picture of our centre back from your avatar...
SIXFY , please remove the picture of our centre back from your avatar...
- Thread starter
- #40
WEEK #20—2010-02-15
A couple of upsets and a few lop-sided scores highlighted this past weekend’s activities in the VMSL’s Premier Division. Surrey United and West Van FC remained the only two teams in contention for the league title as ICST Pegasus and the Metro-Ford Wolves dropped out of the running by losing to Norvan Pacific and the Firefighters respectively. At the bottom of the table, things are getting more interesting as the young Norvan team caught up to the struggling Sapperton Rovers, while Westside FC dropped back into the relegation zone by virtue of its loss to Columbus FC.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - METRO-FORD WOLVES 3-0: On Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, the Firefighters made mince meat out of a lethargic Metro-Ford squad and came away with a well-deserved 3-0 victory. The visitors dominated proceeding right from the opening whistle and took the lead at the 17th minute mark when Lucas Barrett one-timed a perfect pass from Andrew Proctor into the Coquitlam net for what proved to be the winning goal. At the 32nd minute mark, Proctor became the finisher as he converted an excellent cross from Angus Burke—after the youngster had made a fine run down the left flank—into the insurance marker. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as the Firemen controlled the majority of the play against their listless opponents. Midway through the second half, Vinnie Stewart crossed an immaculate ball onto the path of Rizal Ganief who skillfully deposited it into the back of the net from close range. Surrey United’s midfielder Tyler Rosenlund and forward Rizal Ganief turned in superlative performances in leading their team to the all-important victory, while midfielder Andrew Veer and defender Aaron Beattie were the only bright lights in Metro-Ford firmament. As a result of the victory, Surrey United remains in first place, albeit with a slim 1-point lead over the defending champions, West Van FC.
DELTA UNITED - ICSF INTER 3-0: Also on Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, Delta United won its second match in a row by demolishing the home team by a 3-0 margin. The visitors dominated the first 45 minutes of action and took a well-deserved 2-0 into the dressing room. Delta took the lead at the 15th minute mark when John Blair set up Harpreet Khakh with an immaculate pass down the left flank. Khakh then proceeded to beat a couple of Inter defenders before racing in on goal on a breakaway and calmly depositing the ball behind goalkeeper Erman Ozkan. The second goal—at about the 40th minute mark—was more or less a carbon-copy of the first—this time on a set up by Shawn Blakeway. Once again Khakh beat a couple of defenders, and once again he raced in on goal and easily beat Ozkan for the insurance marker. The visitors could have added a couple of goals to their halftime margin, but Blakeway was robbed by an outstanding save on the part of Ozkan on a vicious full-time volley, while Khakh’s great header was again stopped brilliantly by Ozkan. Inter played a lot better in the second half and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, but Sheldon Maistry and Michael Winter missed their golden opportunities to narrow the margin. As luck would it, the visitors scored their third goal with Harpreet Khakh once again involved in the play as he set up Donald Kambere with a great pass. Kambere made a couple of brilliant moves on the ICSF defenders before slotting the ball home for the last nail in the home team’s coffin. The victory catapults Delta United into 6th place, slightly ahead of Croatia SC and ICSF Inter.
NORVAN PACIFIC - ICST PEGASUS 1-0: The third, and last, Friday evening game was played at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey and featured the aspiring Pegasus against the once struggling Norvan Pacific. After upsetting ICSF Inter last week, the last-place former Eagles repeated their excellent performance and were able to defeat the heavily-favoured home team by the same 1-0 margin thus keeping their chances of avoiding relegation alive. The Norvan youngsters executed a very clever counterattacking strategy to perfection, giving the more experienced Pegasus squad very few chances and, at the same time, creating several of their own. After a scoreless first half, Norvan took the lead early in the second half when Kyle Thompson took advantage of an uncharacteristic Pegasus turnover in the middle of the park and threaded a pin-point pass to a streaking Blake Burgon. Burgon then burst into the Pegasus penalty area and neatly tucked the ball into the back of the net for the game’s only goal. Defensively, Norvan’s Brent Dodge turned in a superlative performance, while midfielders Blake Burgon and Kyle Thompson also contributed enormously to their team’s upset victory. Veteran goalkeeper Steve London had to make a few excellent saves throughout the contest to gain his well-deserved clean sheet. As a result of its second consecutive upset victory, Norvan Pacific is now tied for last place with the struggling Sapperton Rovers, making the last two games of the regular season very important for both teams.
WEST VAN FC - SAPPERTON ROVERS 6-0: On Saturday, at South Memorial Park in Vancouver, the defending triple-crown champions clobbered the Sapperton Rovers by a resounding 6-0 margin. Needless to say, the game was very one-sided as the visitors dominated proceedings from start to finish against a very lacklustre Sapperton side. Milad Rahmati opened the scoring for the former Trollers at the 15th minute mark as he chipped the ball over the Sapperton goalkeeper for what proved to be the winning goal. Soon thereafter, former Whitecap Justin Thompson headed home a well-taken Robbie Giezen corner kick for West Van’s second goal. Ryan Glanville then added insult to Sapperton’s injury as he picked up a rebound—from his own shot that had hit the goalpost—and blasted the ball into the empty net for West Van’s third goal. Thompson then completed the first half scoring as he converted yet another Giezen corner kick—this one with a low drive to the corner of the net. Second half substitute Corey Birza—after hitting the woodwork early in the second half—scored West Van’s 5th goal as he headed home a brilliant cross by Omari Aldridge. With 10 minutes remaining in the match, Birza added his second goal—and his team’s 6th—as he finished off a breakaway opportunity in fine fashion. The victory keeps West Van FC in the hunt for the league title, while the loss places the Rovers in a last place tie with the resurging Norvan Pacific.
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS - CROATIA SC 2-1: On Sunday, at King George School in Richmond, the Hibernians upset the visiting Croatians by a narrow 2-1 margin after a well-played and highly-contested 90 minutes of non-stop action. Croatia SC took the early lead at the 8th minute mark when young Steve Fronzo gathered the ball on a counter-attack and drove a low cross onto the path of an onrushing Chris Craveiro, who made no mistake in hammering the ball to the top corner of the Richmond net for the game’s opening goal. The Hibs bounced back and tied things up at the 20th minute mark on a fine individual effort by midfielder Reynold Stewart. After being set up by fellow midfielder Alan Chivers, Stewart beat a couple of Croatian defenders before lashing a low, hard drive into the back of the net for the equalizer. Early in the second half, Richmond FC scored the winning goal with Reynold Stewart once again involved—this time as the provider. In fact, it was Stewart that set up Owen Sinclair for the winning goal as he cut the ball back after dribbling along the goal line. After the winning goal was scored, the Hibernians defended their lead tenaciously, led by the excellent play of central defenders Mike Revelle and Stu Walters, as well as goalkeeper Matt Clayton. Late in the match, the Croatians came very close to knotting the score but a clever back pass by Christian Tropeano was blasted just over the bar by Phillip Kotter. All in all, an excellent performance by both teams!
COLUMBUS FC - WESTSIDE FC 3-1: On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, Columbus FC defeated the visiting Westside FC by a 3-1 margin in a game that can best be described as one-sided. Columbus’ Kozo Manome opened the scoring midway through the first half on a long-range, curling shot after being set up by Jeff DeBlasio. Westside came close to equalizing shortly thereafter but Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone—after receiving an excellent pass from Brian Reems—shot directly at Columbus’ goalkeeper Thomas Lindley from close range. Late in the first half, Jeff DeBlasio continued his impressive performance when he set up big brother Steve DeBlasio with yet another excellent pass. The older DeBlasio proceeded to beat a Westside defender before ripping a low shot to the far post for the 2-0 halftime lead. Columbus continued to control the tempo of the match in the second half and added its third goal at the 80th minute mark when the tireless work of target man, Kaz Kikuchi, allowed him to lay off a perfect pass to Steve DeBlasio who hammered home his second goal of the game from well outside the penalty area. Westside scored a late consolation goal just before the final whistle when a Nick Perugini left foot strike from the edge of the box found the far, low corner of the Columbus net. Columbus’ makeshift—and vertically challenged—backline, composed of Frank Mollica, Nathan Quan, Steve Kindel, and Robbie Cairns, was rock-solid throughout the entire game, while the DeBlasio brothers took care of their team’s offensive chores. The victory lifts Columbus FC into a 4th place tie with ICST Pegasus, only 1 point behind third place Metro-Ford. The loss, on the other hand, puts the Westsiders back into the dreaded relegation zone as they are now only 3 points ahead of last-place Sapperton and Norvan.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: NORVAN PACIFIC for its second straight upset victory, this one at the expense of the heavily-favoured ICST Pegasus by a narrow, but well-earned 1-0 margin. Led by the excellent play of Blake Burgon, Kyle Thompson, Matt Brewster, and Mark Krys, as well some solid goalkeeping on the part of veteran Steave London, the Norvan lads fully deserved the victory, a result that improves their chances of avoiding relegation.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Delta United’s HARPREET KHAKH for his amazing performance in his team’s elaborate 3-0 victory over ICSF Inter. Not only did Khakh score two of Delta’s goals in brilliant fashion, but he also managed to set up his team’s third goal with an excellent pass to teammate Donald Kambere. For his excellent performance, HARP KHAKH will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-03-07.
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A couple of upsets and a few lop-sided scores highlighted this past weekend’s activities in the VMSL’s Premier Division. Surrey United and West Van FC remained the only two teams in contention for the league title as ICST Pegasus and the Metro-Ford Wolves dropped out of the running by losing to Norvan Pacific and the Firefighters respectively. At the bottom of the table, things are getting more interesting as the young Norvan team caught up to the struggling Sapperton Rovers, while Westside FC dropped back into the relegation zone by virtue of its loss to Columbus FC.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - METRO-FORD WOLVES 3-0: On Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, the Firefighters made mince meat out of a lethargic Metro-Ford squad and came away with a well-deserved 3-0 victory. The visitors dominated proceeding right from the opening whistle and took the lead at the 17th minute mark when Lucas Barrett one-timed a perfect pass from Andrew Proctor into the Coquitlam net for what proved to be the winning goal. At the 32nd minute mark, Proctor became the finisher as he converted an excellent cross from Angus Burke—after the youngster had made a fine run down the left flank—into the insurance marker. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as the Firemen controlled the majority of the play against their listless opponents. Midway through the second half, Vinnie Stewart crossed an immaculate ball onto the path of Rizal Ganief who skillfully deposited it into the back of the net from close range. Surrey United’s midfielder Tyler Rosenlund and forward Rizal Ganief turned in superlative performances in leading their team to the all-important victory, while midfielder Andrew Veer and defender Aaron Beattie were the only bright lights in Metro-Ford firmament. As a result of the victory, Surrey United remains in first place, albeit with a slim 1-point lead over the defending champions, West Van FC.
DELTA UNITED - ICSF INTER 3-0: Also on Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, Delta United won its second match in a row by demolishing the home team by a 3-0 margin. The visitors dominated the first 45 minutes of action and took a well-deserved 2-0 into the dressing room. Delta took the lead at the 15th minute mark when John Blair set up Harpreet Khakh with an immaculate pass down the left flank. Khakh then proceeded to beat a couple of Inter defenders before racing in on goal on a breakaway and calmly depositing the ball behind goalkeeper Erman Ozkan. The second goal—at about the 40th minute mark—was more or less a carbon-copy of the first—this time on a set up by Shawn Blakeway. Once again Khakh beat a couple of defenders, and once again he raced in on goal and easily beat Ozkan for the insurance marker. The visitors could have added a couple of goals to their halftime margin, but Blakeway was robbed by an outstanding save on the part of Ozkan on a vicious full-time volley, while Khakh’s great header was again stopped brilliantly by Ozkan. Inter played a lot better in the second half and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, but Sheldon Maistry and Michael Winter missed their golden opportunities to narrow the margin. As luck would it, the visitors scored their third goal with Harpreet Khakh once again involved in the play as he set up Donald Kambere with a great pass. Kambere made a couple of brilliant moves on the ICSF defenders before slotting the ball home for the last nail in the home team’s coffin. The victory catapults Delta United into 6th place, slightly ahead of Croatia SC and ICSF Inter.
NORVAN PACIFIC - ICST PEGASUS 1-0: The third, and last, Friday evening game was played at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey and featured the aspiring Pegasus against the once struggling Norvan Pacific. After upsetting ICSF Inter last week, the last-place former Eagles repeated their excellent performance and were able to defeat the heavily-favoured home team by the same 1-0 margin thus keeping their chances of avoiding relegation alive. The Norvan youngsters executed a very clever counterattacking strategy to perfection, giving the more experienced Pegasus squad very few chances and, at the same time, creating several of their own. After a scoreless first half, Norvan took the lead early in the second half when Kyle Thompson took advantage of an uncharacteristic Pegasus turnover in the middle of the park and threaded a pin-point pass to a streaking Blake Burgon. Burgon then burst into the Pegasus penalty area and neatly tucked the ball into the back of the net for the game’s only goal. Defensively, Norvan’s Brent Dodge turned in a superlative performance, while midfielders Blake Burgon and Kyle Thompson also contributed enormously to their team’s upset victory. Veteran goalkeeper Steve London had to make a few excellent saves throughout the contest to gain his well-deserved clean sheet. As a result of its second consecutive upset victory, Norvan Pacific is now tied for last place with the struggling Sapperton Rovers, making the last two games of the regular season very important for both teams.
WEST VAN FC - SAPPERTON ROVERS 6-0: On Saturday, at South Memorial Park in Vancouver, the defending triple-crown champions clobbered the Sapperton Rovers by a resounding 6-0 margin. Needless to say, the game was very one-sided as the visitors dominated proceedings from start to finish against a very lacklustre Sapperton side. Milad Rahmati opened the scoring for the former Trollers at the 15th minute mark as he chipped the ball over the Sapperton goalkeeper for what proved to be the winning goal. Soon thereafter, former Whitecap Justin Thompson headed home a well-taken Robbie Giezen corner kick for West Van’s second goal. Ryan Glanville then added insult to Sapperton’s injury as he picked up a rebound—from his own shot that had hit the goalpost—and blasted the ball into the empty net for West Van’s third goal. Thompson then completed the first half scoring as he converted yet another Giezen corner kick—this one with a low drive to the corner of the net. Second half substitute Corey Birza—after hitting the woodwork early in the second half—scored West Van’s 5th goal as he headed home a brilliant cross by Omari Aldridge. With 10 minutes remaining in the match, Birza added his second goal—and his team’s 6th—as he finished off a breakaway opportunity in fine fashion. The victory keeps West Van FC in the hunt for the league title, while the loss places the Rovers in a last place tie with the resurging Norvan Pacific.
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS - CROATIA SC 2-1: On Sunday, at King George School in Richmond, the Hibernians upset the visiting Croatians by a narrow 2-1 margin after a well-played and highly-contested 90 minutes of non-stop action. Croatia SC took the early lead at the 8th minute mark when young Steve Fronzo gathered the ball on a counter-attack and drove a low cross onto the path of an onrushing Chris Craveiro, who made no mistake in hammering the ball to the top corner of the Richmond net for the game’s opening goal. The Hibs bounced back and tied things up at the 20th minute mark on a fine individual effort by midfielder Reynold Stewart. After being set up by fellow midfielder Alan Chivers, Stewart beat a couple of Croatian defenders before lashing a low, hard drive into the back of the net for the equalizer. Early in the second half, Richmond FC scored the winning goal with Reynold Stewart once again involved—this time as the provider. In fact, it was Stewart that set up Owen Sinclair for the winning goal as he cut the ball back after dribbling along the goal line. After the winning goal was scored, the Hibernians defended their lead tenaciously, led by the excellent play of central defenders Mike Revelle and Stu Walters, as well as goalkeeper Matt Clayton. Late in the match, the Croatians came very close to knotting the score but a clever back pass by Christian Tropeano was blasted just over the bar by Phillip Kotter. All in all, an excellent performance by both teams!
COLUMBUS FC - WESTSIDE FC 3-1: On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, Columbus FC defeated the visiting Westside FC by a 3-1 margin in a game that can best be described as one-sided. Columbus’ Kozo Manome opened the scoring midway through the first half on a long-range, curling shot after being set up by Jeff DeBlasio. Westside came close to equalizing shortly thereafter but Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone—after receiving an excellent pass from Brian Reems—shot directly at Columbus’ goalkeeper Thomas Lindley from close range. Late in the first half, Jeff DeBlasio continued his impressive performance when he set up big brother Steve DeBlasio with yet another excellent pass. The older DeBlasio proceeded to beat a Westside defender before ripping a low shot to the far post for the 2-0 halftime lead. Columbus continued to control the tempo of the match in the second half and added its third goal at the 80th minute mark when the tireless work of target man, Kaz Kikuchi, allowed him to lay off a perfect pass to Steve DeBlasio who hammered home his second goal of the game from well outside the penalty area. Westside scored a late consolation goal just before the final whistle when a Nick Perugini left foot strike from the edge of the box found the far, low corner of the Columbus net. Columbus’ makeshift—and vertically challenged—backline, composed of Frank Mollica, Nathan Quan, Steve Kindel, and Robbie Cairns, was rock-solid throughout the entire game, while the DeBlasio brothers took care of their team’s offensive chores. The victory lifts Columbus FC into a 4th place tie with ICST Pegasus, only 1 point behind third place Metro-Ford. The loss, on the other hand, puts the Westsiders back into the dreaded relegation zone as they are now only 3 points ahead of last-place Sapperton and Norvan.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: NORVAN PACIFIC for its second straight upset victory, this one at the expense of the heavily-favoured ICST Pegasus by a narrow, but well-earned 1-0 margin. Led by the excellent play of Blake Burgon, Kyle Thompson, Matt Brewster, and Mark Krys, as well some solid goalkeeping on the part of veteran Steave London, the Norvan lads fully deserved the victory, a result that improves their chances of avoiding relegation.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Delta United’s HARPREET KHAKH for his amazing performance in his team’s elaborate 3-0 victory over ICSF Inter. Not only did Khakh score two of Delta’s goals in brilliant fashion, but he also managed to set up his team’s third goal with an excellent pass to teammate Donald Kambere. For his excellent performance, HARP KHAKH will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-03-07.
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